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THE  LITTLE 
SCHOOLMISTRESS 


m  MEMORIAM 

R»0«Boone 


•  i       '..-" 


?S5 


THE  LITTLE 


SCHOOLMISTRESS 


By  Cleburne  Lee  Hayes 


THE  CLAUDE  J.  BELL  COMPANY,  PUBLISHERS 

NASHVILLE,   TENNESSEE 


Tn  uVi  m\m 

Jfcpprarate  ite  ^Possibilities 

of  tta> 

GJommon  primal 

EDUCATION  DEHI*, 


Copyright  1905 
By  C.  L.  Hayes 


CONTENTS 


I.  Only  a  Schoolma'am    -  5 

II.  Another  View  of  It    -      -      -  12 

III.  Making  Friends      -      -      -      -  17 

IV.  "  Grammatical  Knots  Untied"  22 
V.  The  Examination  25 

VI.  The  Lawn  Party        -      -      -  27 

VII.  At  Home  Again  34 

VIII.  Old  Jim  Burton's  Scheme      -  40 

IX.  Aunt  Ann's  Appreciation  42 

X.  Colonel  Rutherford's  Letter  45 

XI.  Helen's  Arrival  at  Shady  Grove  54 

XII.  "  Getting  Down  to  Business  "    -  61 

XIII.  The  First  Day  oe  School      -  69 

XIV.  "A  Peculiar  Boy"        -      -      -  77 
XV.  A  Friday  Afternoon  Digression  90 

XVI.  The  Teachers'  Association    -  95 

XVII.  A  New  Experience       -      -      -  101 

XVIII.  A  Rainy  Day        -      -      -      -  103 

(iii) 

543708 


iv  CONTENTS 

XIX.  "Nonsense"      -      -      -      -  108 

XX.  The  Superintendent's  Visit  114 

XXI.  Miss  Scruggs'  School    -      -  121 

XXII.  Miss  Scruggs'  Confession  130 

XXIII.  The  District  Conference    -  136 

XXIV.  Holding  the  Attendance  148 
XXV.  Visiting  the  Parents           -  160 

XXVI.  A  Lesson  in  Geography    -  168 

XXVII.  A  School  Boy's  "  Impudence  "  178 

XXVIII.  The  "  Scalawag  Class  "      -  182 

XXIX.  Thanksgiving  Day      -      -  204 

XXX.  Burton's  Second  Scheme    -  212 

XXXI.  Planning  Closing  Exercises  220 

XXXII.  A  Day  with  "  the  Faithful  "  223 

XXXIII.  Two  Agreeable  Surprises  230 

XXXIV.  "The  Traveler's  Rest"      -  234 
XXXV.  Shady  Grove's  Awakening  237 

XXXVI.  The  New  School-House      -  243 

XXXVII.  Some  of  the  Fruits    -      -  245 

XXXVIII.  "  Unrealized  Ambitions  "    -  248 


THE    LITTLE 
SCHOOLMISTRESS 


CHAPTER  I 

ONLY  A  SCHOOLMA'AM 

1JELEN  SMITH  sat  by  the  window  one 
rainy  afternoon  in  March,  and  gazed 
upon  the  gloomy  landscape.  In  her  lap 
lay  an  open  letter  which  she  regretted 
that  she  must  show  her  mother,  for  it 
was  a  statement  from  the  bank  saying : — 

"De:ar  Madam: 

"  Unless  some  arrangements  are  made  agree- 
able to  Mr.  Mark  Hopper,  whom  we  represent, 
the  foreclosure  of  the  mortgage  on  your  home 
may  take  place  at  any  time." 

"  The  day  is  cold,  and  dark,  and 
dreary,"  she  said,  and  then  remembering 
that  she  was  quoting  a  familiar  line  of 
"The   Rainy   Day,"    she   turned   to   the 

(5) 


.6 .THE   UTTI,E   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

table  near  by,  where  a  copy  of  Longfellow 
lay,  took  it  up,  and  read  the  entire  poem 
through  several  times.      The  lines,  — 

"  Thy  fate  is  the  common  fate  of  all ; 
Into  each  life  some  rain  must  fall, 
Some  days  must  be  dark  and  dreary," 

somehow  soothed  her. 

She  looked  out  of  the  window  again  for 
several  minutes,  and  then  turned  aim- 
lessly through  the  book  in  her  hand,  un- 
til she  happened  to  notice  the  familiar 
"  Psalm  of  Life."  She  read  it  thought- 
fully, and  every  sentence  seemed  to  be  an 
expression  of  her  own  yearnings.  When 
she  came  to  the  words : — 

"  Let  us  then  be  up  and  doing," 

she  stopped. 

"What  can  I  do?"  she  thought.  "Can't 
I  help  mother?  Could  I  work  in  a  store 
or  an  office?  I  must  be  up  and  doing. 
I  will  take  her  the  letter,  and  tell  her 
that  I  will  help  her." 

As  she  arose,  her  mother  entered. 


ONLY   A    SCHOOLMA'AM  7 

"  Come  here,  mother,  and  take  this 
rocking-chair  by  the  window.  I  have  a 
letter  for  you  which  contains  disagreeable 
news." 

"  From  whom,  Helen  ?  " 

"  From  Mr.  Duncan." 

"  Oh,  I  am  sure  it  is  about  that  mort- 
gage," she  said  as  she  took  the  letter  and 
read  it. 

Helen  observed  that  her  mother  was 
much  troubled.  Thereupon  she  said  ten- 
derly, — 

"  Mother,  I  have  resolved  to  help  you 
by  earning  money  myself." 

"  My  dear  child,  what  can  you  do  ?  " 

"  I  am  not  sure,  but  there  must  be 
something  that  I  can  do.  Girls  in  the 
cities  work  in  stores  and  offices.  Don't 
you  think  I  can  do  something  of  the 
kind?" 

After  a  little  reflection  Mrs.  Smith  re- 
plied :  "  You  are  not  prepared  for  a  posi- 
tion in  an  office.    To  hold  one  you  should 


8  THE   UTTEE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

understand  business  methods  and  know 
how  to  write  shorthand.  The  girls  who 
work  in  stores  generally  get  very  little 
pay,  are  confined  very  closely,  and  there 
is  no  advancement  for  them.  The  best 
employment  that  I  can  think  of  for  you 
would  be  teaching  school." 

"Teaching  school!  Why,  I  couldn't 
teach  school.  That  is  the  last  thing  that 
I  would  attempt." 

"A  great  many  girls  who  have  not  had 
as  good  advantages  as  you  have  taught 
successfully,"  said  Mrs.  Smith. 

Just  then  there  was  a  rap  at  the  door 
which  Helen  answered,  and  Mrs.  Alexan- 
der, one  of  their  neighbors,  entered.  She 
walked  quietly  and  spoke  in  gentle  tones. 
She  sat  down  and  began  to  talk  with  Mrs. 
Smith,  and  Helen  passed  out  of  the 
room.  As  Mrs.  Alexander  was  one  of 
Mrs.  Smith's  most  intimate  friends,  the 
latter  was  soon  telling  her  the  contents 
of  the  banker's  letter.     She  spoke  also  of 


ONLY    A    SCHOOLMA'AM  9 

her  husband's  long  illness  and  death,  of 
several  losses  which  they  had  sustained, 
of  her  inability  to  earn  anything,  or  even 
to  care  for  the  farm  and  the  household; 
of  her  children  to  be  educated  and  her 
ambitions  in  this  particular,  and  finally  of 
Helen's  proposition  to  go  to  work. 

"  I  can  think  of  nothing  that  Helen 
can  possibly  do  but  teach  some  little 
school,  and  I  am  sure  she  does  not  want 
to  do  that.  I  suggested  teaching  to  her 
just  now,  and  although  she  did  not  refuse, 
it  was  plain  that  she  did  not  think  favor- 
ably of  the  suggestion.,, 

"Well,"  said  Mrs.  Alexander,  "I 
should  like  very  much  to  have  my  little 
girl  taught  by  Helen,  and  I  do  wish  she 
could  have  our  school  for  the  next  session. 
I  am  sure  she  would  do  far  better  than  the 
young  lady  they  have  engaged.  My  hus- 
band told  me  this  morning  that  our 
teacher  next  term  will  be  Miss  Lummie 
Scruggs  of  Dry  Creek.    She  has  had  no 


10  the;  little  schoolmistress 

experience,  has  never  been  to  school  out 
of  her  own  neighborhood,  and  her  home 
has  not  been  such  as  to  give  her  much  cul- 
ture. It  seems  that  one  of  the  directors 
in  that  district  is  under  obligations  to  her 
father  for  favors  in  the  last  election,  and 
through  his  influence  arrangements  were 
made  for  her  to  have  this  school,  and 
for  John  Jones's  son  to  have  the  school  at 
Dry  Creek  so  that  he  may  go  to  the 
Business  College." 

Mrs.  Smith  felt  disappointed  at  this 
announcement,  but  said  nothing. 

While  this  conversation  was  taking 
place,  Helen  was  in  the  next  room  en- 
gaged in  housework  and  caring  for  her 
little  brother.  Meanwhile  she  was  think- 
ing seriously  of  her  mother's  suggestion 
that  she  teach.  She  felt  that  she  was  in- 
competent, and  too  young;  and  did  not 
think  she  could  get  a  position  if  she  de- 
sired it.  Still  she  was  willing  to  do  all 
she  could  to  help  her  mother  in  her  dis- 


ONLY    A    SCHOO^MA'AM  H 

tress,  and  it  was  evident  that  her  mother 
wished  her  to  teach. 

After  the  day's  work  was  done,  Helen 
wrote  a  letter  to  Miss  Emily  Wise,  the 
very  best  teacher  she  had  ever  had,  and 
told  her  frankly  of  their  circumstances 
and  of  her  mother's  suggestion ;  also  how 
utterly  incompetent  she  felt  for  teaching. 
She  concluded  by  saying :  — 

"  I  have  never  before  thought  of  be- 
coming a  teacher,  and  I  feel  that  I  would 
very  much  dislike  to  do  so.  There  are 
other  things  more  to  my  taste  than  being 
a  country  school-ma'am.  Please  tell  me 
with  perfect  candor  whether  you  think  I 
could  teach  school  or  not,  should  I  make 
up  my  mind  to  try,  and  find  a  position. 
You  know  the  school  here.  Do  you  sup- 
pose I  could  manage  it  if  they  would  let 
me  have  it  ?  " 


CHAPTER  II 

ANOTHER  VIEW  OF  IT 
IJ'ELEN'S  father  had  been  buried  only 
a  week  when  the  banker's  letter  came, 
and  her  mother,  always  delicate,  had  been 
so  overtaxed  by  anxiety  and  watching 
that  she  was  still  scarcely  able  to  leave 
her  room.  She  was  dispirited  and  even 
had  grave  fears  that  she  too  would  be- 
come a  victim  of  consumption. 

The  family  consisted  of  the  mother, 
Helen,  the  oldest  daughter,  who  would 
be  eighteen  next  Wednesday,  and  three 
other  children,  two  of  whom  were  girls, 
and  the  youngest,  only  one  year  old,  a 
boy. 

While  James  Smith  was  in  good  health, 
he  provided  well  for  his  family.  Their 
home  was  a  pretty  white  cottage  of  five 
rooms,  beside  the  turnpike,  seven  miles 
east  of  the  county  seat  of  one  of  the  well- 
known  counties  of  middle  Tennessee,  and 
overlooked  a  fertile  valley.     Mr.   Smith 

(12) 


ANOTHER    VIEW    OF    IT  13 

owned  eighty  acres  of  good  land,  and  his 
entire  premises  were  noted  for  their  neat- 
ness. As  long  as  he  was  able  to  give  his 
personal  attention  to  his  business,  he  was 
prosperous;  but  it  had  now  been  three 
years  since  his  health  failed.  During  this 
time  his  income  had  been  less,  his 
misfortunes  more  frequent,  and  his  ex- 
penses greater.  In  order  to  send  Helen 
to  school,  and  to  meet  other  demands,  he 
had  been  compelled  to  borrow  several 
hundred  dollars,  to  secure  the  loan  of 
which  he  had  mortgaged  his  farm.  Ow- 
ing to  his  family  history,  he  had  been 
unable  to  provide  life  insurance.  Conse- 
quently he  left  his  family  embarrassed 
financially. 

A  week  after  Helen  wrote  to  Miss  Wise 
she  received  a  reply.  It  was  very  lengthy, 
and  as  she  glanced  over  it  hurriedly,  she 
was  pleased  to  find  many  assurances  of 
confidence.  Among  other  things,  her 
teacher  wrote :  — 


14  THE   LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

"  My  dear  Helen,  you  will  not  only  be 
able  to  teach  as  well  as  most  young  peo- 
ple, but  I  expect  you  to  excel.  You  have 
had  better  advantages,  both  at  home  and 
at  school,  than  many  who  teach,  and  you 
are  so  conscientious  that  you  will  certainly 
do  your  best  in  every  particular.  You  say 
that  you  feel  incompetent.  There  is  much 
that  you  may  yet  do  to  qualify  yourself 
better  before  the  schools  begin  again, — 
and  this  very  sense  of  unfitness  is  essen- 
tial to  your  success.  Only  those  who  re- 
alize their  inefficiency  ever  become  what 
teachers  really  ought  to  be.    * 

"  Perhaps  you  have  not  thought  how 
great  a  thing  it  is  to  teach,  else  you  would 
not  mention  '  other  things  more  to  your 
taste.'  The  opportunity  for  doing  good 
is  not  greater  in  any  other  calling,  unless 
it  be  the  ministry  of  the  gospel  —  and  a 
Christian  teacher's  work  is  a  holy  minis- 
try. Many  of  the  world's  greatest,  wis- 
est, and  best  people  have  been  teachers. 


ANOTHER    VIEW    OF    IT  15 

Nor  is  being  '  only  a  common  country 
schoolma'am  ■  a  thing  to  be  despised. 
Just  think  how  much  good  you  may  do 
in  a  country  community.  Nowhere  else  is 
your  work  more  needed  or  more  likely  to 
be  appreciated.  You  have  seen  how 
brightly  a  little  candle  shines  in  a  dark 
place.  So  shines  the  good  work  of  a 
real  teacher  in  a  benighted  neighborhood. 
Its  brightness  reaches  even  unto  heaven, 
and  God  and  the  angels  look  down  on  it 
and  are  pleased. 

"  Helen,  there  will  be  a  Teachers'  In- 
stitute in  our  town  beginning  the  first 
Monday  in  June  and  lasting  one  month. 
Some  very  fine  instructors  have  been  en- 
gaged already.  I  shall  attend,  and  I  shall 
be  delighted  to  have  you  room  with  me  at 
my  brother's.  The  expense  will  be  very 
little.  If  you  cannot  pay  for  your  board 
at  once,  it  will  make  no  difference  with 
my  brother. 

2 


16  THE   LITTLE    SCHOOLMISTRESS 

"  Do  not  worry  about  a  position.  There 
will  be  time  enough  to  attend  to  that  when 
the  Institute  is  over. 

"  I  am  sending  to  King's  drug  store 
to-day  a  book  for  you  to  read.  You  will 
find  it  pleasant  and  inspiring.  It  is  Page's 
'  Theory  and  Practice  of  Teaching/  " 

Again  Helen  gazed  out  of  the  window, 
but  this  time  the  sun  was  shining,  and  the 
landscape  glowed  in  its  wonted  beauty. 


CHAPTER  III 

MAKING  FRIENDS 

^ITHEN  the  summer  Institute  opened, 
Helen  sat  beside  Miss  Wise  much 
embarrassed,  but  feeling  that  she  had  a 
good  friend  at  hand  to  help  her  in  any 
emergency.  The  attendance  was  large, 
and  the  opening  was  considered  a  great 
success.  The  conductor  and  assistant  in- 
structors delivered  fine  addresses,  and 
dwelt  at  length  upon  the  usefulness  and 
nobility  of  the  work  of  a  teacher.  Under 
these  influences  the  last  remnant  of  Hel- 
en's antipathy  to  teaching  gradually  gave 
way  to  a  desire  which  by  the  end  of  the 
Institute  grew  to  eagerness. 

On  the  third  morning  when  the  hour 
arrived  for  work  to  begin,  the  Superin- 
tendent seemed  somewhat  worried  be- 
cause his  organist  was  absent.  After  he 
had  made  repeated  requests  for  some  one 
to  volunteer,  Miss  Wise  caught  his  eye 

(17) 


18  THE   UTT^E   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

and  pointed  slyly  to  Helen,  whereupon  he 
said:  — 

"  Miss ,  —  Pardon  me,  ma'am  — 

your  name  —  ?  " 

"  Miss  Smith,"  said  Miss  Wise. 

"  Certainly.  Miss  Smith,  will  you 
please  come  and  play  for  us  ?  " 

Helen  felt  a  strong  desire  to  decline, 
but  out  of  a  sense  of  duty  she  arose,  with 
crimson  cheeks,  and  proceeded  to  the  or- 
gan. There  were  several  present  who 
could  have  played,  but  they  were  not  so 
prompt  to  do  a  duty  nor  so  obliging.  The 
Superintendent  noticed  that  she  did  not 
wait  to  be  coaxed,  and  furthermore  that 
she  played  fairly  well.  Henceforth  he 
knew  "  Miss  Smith." 

Two  or  three  days  later  Professor 
Waters,  who  taught  arithmetic,  made  up 
a  class  of  about  a  dozen,  and  sent  them  to 
the  blackboard  to  solve  some  problems  in 
partial  payments.  It  was  noticeable  that 
while  several  responded  with  gusto,  evi- 


MAKING    FRIENDS  19 

dently  expecting  to  display  their  superior 
skill,  Helen  went  as  usual  to  do  her  duty 
and  not  to  attract  attention.  One  or  two 
young  men  finished  very  soon,  and  began 
snapping  their  fingers  vigorously  to  at- 
tract the  attention  of  the  instructor.  He 
merely  smiled,  bowed  to  them  in  recog- 
nition of  their  eagerness  to  explain,  and 
pointed  to  seats.  One  after  another  fin- 
ished or  became  confused,  half  way  erased 
their  work,  and  sat  down.  Helen,  as  if 
alone,  worked  on  steadily  until  she  had 
solved  the  problem  and  reviewed  it,  before 
she  stopped.  The  eyes  of  the  entire  In- 
stitute were  finally  centered  upon  her  and 
her  work. 

When  all  were  seated,  Professor 
Waters  asked  for  explanations.  To  re- 
lieve the  class  from  their  importunity,  he 
allowed  the  young  man  from  the  14th  Dis- 
trict to  explain  first,  and  then  another 
from  the  19th  District.  Both  had  approx- 
imated the  correct  answer,  but  neither  had 


20  the  little  schoolmistress 

arranged  his  work  systematically,  and 
neither  had  obtained  quite  correct  results. 
When  this  was  shown  them,  they  argued 
that  a  dollar  or  two  did  not  make  any  dif- 
ference, just  so  the  principle  was  right. 

"But,"  said  Professor  Waters,  "is 
that  the  way  you  make  settlements  ?  Does 
it  matter  to  you  whether  there  is  a  differ- 
ence of  a  dollar  or  two  in  your  favor 
or  against  you  when  you  buy  or  sell 
things?" 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  would  be  exact  in  settle- 
ments," said  one  of  the  young  men,  some- 
what confused. 

"  Then,"  said  the  professor,  "  it  pays  to 
acquire  the  habit  of  exactness  in  practice." 

The  review  of  the  work  continued,  no 
special  attention  being  attracted  until 
Helen's  was  reached.  There  it  stood  as 
neatly  arranged  and  as  exact  in  every 
figure  as  a  banker's  trial  balance.  Every 
line  was  in  its  place  and  every  figure  leg- 
ible.   All  superfluous  calculations  had  been 


MAKING    FRIENDS  21 

erased,  and  if  one  had  come  into  the  room 
after  the  problem  had  been  stated,  he 
could  have  understood  it  from  Helen's 
solution.  She  explained  it  in  a  quivering 
voice,  but  lucidly.  Professor  Waters  said 
with  emphasis  as  she  left  the  blackboard, 

"That's  good!" 

The  recess  bell  rang,  and  the  class  was 
dismissed. 


CHAPTER  IV 

"GRAMMATICAL  KNOTS  UNTIED 
£PHE  Institute  had  now  been  in  session 
three  weeks.  Each  instructor  had  re- 
quested that  all  present  take  notes  of  the 
lectures,  intimating  that  they  would  be 
found  especially  helpful  to  those  who  ex- 
pected to  pass  the  examination.  Profes- 
sor Jones  had  charge  of  the  work  in  Eng- 
lish grammar.  He  had  varied  the  exer- 
cises so  as  to  interest  the  teachers,  and  had 
succeeded  with  little  difficulty  in  keeping 
their  attention.  The  discussions  had  been 
spicy  at  times,  and  but  for  his  skilful 
management  would  have  lapsed  into 
prolonged  caviling.  During  these  dis- 
cussions Helen  sat  near  Miss  Wise, 
intently  listening  but  never  participating. 
To-day  Professor  Jones  asked  no  ques- 
tions and  told  no  anecdotes.  He  was  seri- 
ously teaching  some  of  the  most  difficult 
things  to  be  learned  in  grammar.  His 
subject  for  the  day  was  "  Grammatical 

(22) 


"GRAMMATICAL    KNOTS    UNTIED."  23 

Knots  Untied."  First,  some  of  the  class 
and  then  Professor  Jones  himself,  was 
disturbed  by  the  conduct  of  several  young 
persons.  Finding  the  lecture  "  dry,"  they 
were  amusing  themselves  by  passing 
"  notes,"  whispering,  and  pretending  to 
go  to  sleep.  Helen  was  quietly  writing. 
When  the  noon  recess  came,  nearly  all 
went  home.  A  few  took  lunch  outside  of 
the  room. 

Professor  Jones,  somewhat  troubled  be- 
cause he  had  been  unable  to  hold  the  at- 
tention of  the  teachers,  walked  up  and 
down  the  hall,  looking  at  the  note  books 
that  chanced  to  be  lying  here  and  there. 
On  one  he  found  a  caricature  of  himself 
untying  grammatical  knots;  on  others, 
sketches  such  as  we  might  expect  a  six- 
year-old  boy  to  chalk  on  the  barn  door. 
Many,  of  course,  were  more  creditable. 

Up  toward  the  front  he  saw  a  well- 
kept  tablet  with  a  neatly  trimmed  pencil 
thrust  through  it,  lying  just  where  Helen 


24  THE   UTTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

had  been  sitting.  He  picked  it  up,  and 
glanced  at  it  as  he  had  at  the  others;  for 
he  was  only  making  such  an  examination 
as  a  teacher  has  a  right  to  make.  To  his 
relief  he  found  that  one,  at  least,  had  un- 
derstood him  well,  and  had  made  a  clear 
and  concise  summary  of  what  he  had  said. 
He  straightened  up,  drew  a  sigh  of  relief, 
and  walked  out. 

That  afternoon  he  had  a  conversation 
with  Helen,  but  said  nothing  of  the  gram- 
mar lesson.  He  asked  her  where  she 
lived,  who  her  teachers  had  been,  and 
where  she  was  going  to  teach.  She  told 
him  that  she  had  never  taught,  but  that 
she  hoped,  when  the  Institute  was  over, 
to  find  a  position  not  too  far  from  home 
which  she  would  be  able  to  fill. 

"  I  think  you  will  have  no  trouble,"  he 
said,  and  proceeded  to  talk  of  other  things 
until  the  bell  called  them  back  into  the 
lecture  hall. 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  EXAMINATION 
ft\  N  the  morning  when  the  examinations 
for  certificates  were  to  begin,  the  Su- 
perintendent stood  before  the  Institute, 
and  around  his  mouth  played  a  smile 
which  seemed  about  to  break  forth 
through  a  face  studiously  stern. 

"  In  addition  to  making  announcements 
regarding  the  examinations,"  said  he,  "  I 
have  been  directed  to  state  publicly  that 
the  entire  Institute,  faculty  and  students, 
will  be  expected  to  attend  a  lawn  party 
at  Colonel  Rutherford's  next  Friday  even- 
ing." 

This  announcement  was  greeted  with 
enthusiastic  applause,  in  which  just  a  few 
stamped  the  floor  as  men  do  in  political 
conventions. 

During  the  examinations,  as  usual, 
Helen  occupied  a  seat  near  the  front  of 
the  room,  the  only  difference  being  that 
Miss  Wise  was  not  with  her  now,  as  for- 

(25) 


26  THE   LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

merly.  She  asked  for  no  explanations, 
but  listened  attentively  to  all  directions. 
She  read  all  the  questions  on  each  sub- 
ject carefully  through  once,  often  twice, 
before  she  began  to  write.  She  did  not 
hurry  nor  idle,  but  worked  steadily.  She 
made  her  calculations,  sketches,  and  out- 
lines on  separate  sheets  of  paper,  and  then 
wrote  with  ink  as  carefully  as  she  could 
what  she  considered  necessary  to  answer 
the  questions  fully  and  concisely.  The  pa- 
per on  which  she  prepared  her  final  an- 
swers was  of  good  quality,  and  perfectly 
clean,  for  she  kept  constantly  under  it  a 
sheet  of  wrapping  paper  while  she  was 
writing.  Before  giving  to  the  teacher  in 
charge,  what  she  had  written,  she  cor- 
rected the  punctuation,  rounded  out  im- 
perfect letters,  arranged  the  pages  in 
order,  and  pinned  the  sheets  together. 
About  two  thirds  of  the  others  usually 
handed  in  their  work  before  she  finished 
hers. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  LAWN  PARTY 

^THEN  the  people  had  gathered  on 
Friday  evening  for  the  party  at  Col- 
onel Rutherford's,  there  were  at  least  a 
hundred  present  from  the  Institute,  and 
as  many  from  the  town. 

Colonel  Rutherford  was  a  man  promi- 
nent in  business  and  politics.  He  desired 
that  the  teachers  and  the  town  people 
be  brought  into  close  social  relations  with 
one  another,  and  it  afforded  him  "  pecul- 
iar pleasure,"  he  said,  to  welcome  them  to 
his  home. 

Among  those  present  were  most  of  the 
"  society  set "  of  the  town,  and  others 
wholly  unsophisticated  in  social  formali- 
ties. There  was  the  supersensitive  young 
man,  who  felt  sure  that  the  people  who 
were  chatting  so  pleasantly  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  room  were  having  fun  at 
his  expense ;  and  the  conceited  fellow,  who 
was  endeavoring  by  making  a  noise  to  at- 

(27) 


28  THE   UTTl,g   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

tract  as  much  attention  to  himself  as  pos- 
sible. There  were  some  who  talked  loudly 
and  others  who  said  nothing,  even  when 
carefully  paired  by  the  Entertainment 
Committee. 

On  a  settee  at  the  shadowy  end  of  the 
porch,  alone,  sat  the  couple  who  had  be- 
come so  deeply  interested  in  each  other 
during  the  Institute.  A  few  of  both  sexes 
were  conspicuous  by  the  eccentricities  of 
their  dress.  Miss  Lewis  wore  bright  col- 
ors in  sharp  contrast.  Professor  Garner, 
the  "  Chesterfield  "  of  the  Institute,  not- 
withstanding the  affair  had  been  an- 
nounced as  "  strictly  informal/'  was  in 
full  dress.  One  young  man's  necktie  had 
climbed  over  his  celluloid  collar,  and  one 
with  an  unusually  attractive  curl  on  his 
forehead  had  it  carefully  secured  in  place 
with  a  hairpin.  But  odd  as  these  were, 
they  were  not  characteristic  of  the  Insti- 
tute.    With  but  few  exceptions,  all  pres- 


THE    LAWN    PARTY  29 

ent  were  well  mannered  and  properly 
dressed. 

Colonel  Rutherford's  son  William,  who 
had  finished  the  course  at  Webb  Training 
vSchool  since  the  Institute  began,  arrived 
with  Helen  about  8  o'clock.  Helen  was 
not  over  medium  height,  and  although  her 
dress  was  only  a  plain  white  muslin,  her 
figure  was  so  erect,  her  auburn  hair  so 
becomingly  arranged,  her  large  brown 
eyes  so  bright,  and  her  smile  so  pleasant, 
that  she  attracted  attention,  and  many 
were  the  complimentary  remarks  made  in 
an  undertone  among  those  in  the  room. 

Shortly  after  they  entered  the  spacious 
parlors  where  Colonel  Rutherford  and  his 
wife  and  several  others  were  receiving 
their  guests,  William  presented  Helen  to 
his  father. 

"  I  am  glad  to  meet  you,  Miss  Smith," 
said  Colonel  Rutherford.  "  I  have  heard 
you  spoken  of  so  frequently  since  the  In- 
stitute began  that  I  feel  quite  well  ao 


30  THE   LITTLE    SCHOOLMISTRESS 

quainted  with  you  already.  The  instruc- 
tors, with  whom  I  have  talked  frequently, 
have  spoken  of  you  in  most  complimentary 
terms.  I  knew  your  father  and  mother 
before  they  were  married,  and  your  fa- 
ther and  I  were  good  friends  for  twenty 
years." 

During  the  Institute,  Helen  had  been 
serious  and  attentive  to  her  work.  She 
had  spent  the  greater  portion  of  her  after- 
noons in  study,  and  had  not  gone  to  en- 
tertainments in  the  evenings.  However, 
it  must  not  be  supposed  that  she  lacked  in- 
terest in  outdoor  amusements  and  genial 
society.  She  had  had  a  task  to  perform; 
it  was  to  prepare  herself  as  fully  as  pos- 
sible for  the  examination,  and  to  derive 
every  benefit  that  she  could  from  the  In- 
stitute as  a  means  of  fitting  herself  to 
teach.  Now  that  the  Institute  was  over, 
and  the  examination  had  been  finished, 
her  task  was  done.  She  entered  into  the 
social  enjoyment  of  the  evening  with  de- 


THE    LAWN    PARTY  31 

light,  and  had  something  pleasant  to  say- 
to  many,  for  she  was  now  well  acquainted. 
She  laughed  and  chatted  and  indulged 
in  witty  repartee.  When  games  were 
played,  she  joined  in  them  enthusiastically, 
and  usually  excelled. 

While  the  ices  were  being  served  on  the 
lawn,  the  piano  was  kept  busy  in  the  par- 
lor, and  the  melodious  notes  floated  out 
of  the  broad  windows.  A  variety  of 
waltzes  and  lively  airs  had  been  played. 

Colonel  Rutherford  sat  talking  to  Miss 
Wise.  Their  conversation  drifted  to 
Helen,  and  then  to  her  parents.  Colonel 
Rutherford  was  reminiscent.  He  finally 
spoke  of  Helen's  mother's  voice  and  of 
how  naturally  sweet  it  was,  though  lack- 
ing the  culture  which  systematic  training 
would  have  given  it. 

"  I  used  to  love  so  much  to  hear  her 
sing  the  old  songs,"  he  said. 

"  Perhaps  Helen  could  sing  one  of  them 
for  you  now,"  suggested  Miss  Wise. 

3 


32  THE   LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

"  Oh,  I  would  like  so  much  for  you  to 
have  her  do  it." 

A  moment  later  Helen  was  informed 
that  Colonel  Rutherford  desired  to  speak 
to  her,  and  she  came  in  promptly. 

"  Miss  Helen,"  he  said,  "  I  have  a  re- 
quest to  make.  It  would  take  me  back  to 
the  happy  days  of  long  ago,  when  your 
father  and  mother  were  sweethearts,  if 
you  would  sing  some  of  the  old  familiar 
songs  for  me.    Won't  you  please  do  so?  " 

Helen's  face  reddened,  partly  from  em- 
barrassment and  partly  from  emotion  at 
the  mention  of  her  father.  After  hesita- 
ting for  a  moment,  she  said,  "  I  am  afraid 
you  will  find  my  singing  quite  poor,  Col- 
onel Rutherford,  but  I  will  try.  What 
would  you  like  me  to  sing?  " 

"  Your  mother  used  to  sing  '  Annie 
Laurie '  and  '  Home  Sweet  Home.' 
Please  favor  us  with  one  of  these." 

Soon  the  merriment  on  the  lawn  dimin- 
ished, and  many  who  had  been  laughing 


THE    LAWN    PARTY  33 

and  talking  were  listening  to  the  unusually 
sweet  strains  of  "  Annie  Laurie "  and 
wondering  who  was  singing.  When  the 
song  was  finished,  there  were  tears  in  the 
Colonel's  eyes,  and  he  begged  for  "  Home 
Sweet  Home."  Before  that  was  half 
done,  not  another  voice  could  be  heard, 
either  in  the  parlors  or  on  the  lawn.  Ev- 
ery one  was  listening.  When  the  singing 
was  done,  many  came  in  to  bid  the  host 
goodnight,  and  to  thank  Helen  for  the 
songs  with  which  they  had  been  favored. 
When  Helen  was  ready  to  go,  Colonel 
Rutherford  shook  hands  with  her  vigor- 
ously, saying,  "  If  I  can  assist  you  in  any 
way  in  securing  a  position  to  teach,  it  will 
afford  me  great  pleasure  to  do  so." 


CHAPTER  VII 

AT  HOME  AGAIN 

£PHE  first  week  after  the  Institute 
closed  Helen  spent  at  home,  occupied 
principally  with  household  duties.  The 
hot  weather  and  extra  care  necessary  dur- 
ing Helen's  absence,  likewise  the  annoy- 
ance of  debt,  had  reduced  Mrs.  Smith  to 
a  feebler  state  of  health  than  that  in 
which  we  first  saw  her ;  but  Helen's  return 
brought  relief  and  good  cheer.  The 
neighbors  came  to  see  Mrs.  Smith  fre- 
quently, and  some  brought  full  accounts 
of  all  the  recent  trivial  happenings  of 
the  community.  Two  or  three  of  these 
visitors  usually  ascribed  motives  of  the 
baser  sort  to  the  persons  whom  they  dis- 
cussed; consequently,  like  Job's  comfort- 
ers, they  depressed  Mrs.  Smith  rather 
than  cheered  her.  Since  it  had  become 
rumored  that  Mrs.  Smith  once  hoped  to 
have  Helen  teach  the  local  school,  the 
class  of  visitors  just  referred  to  never 

(84) 


AT    HOME    AGAIN  35 

failed  to  report  fully  what  they  had  been 
able  to  gather  on  the  subject,  though  she 
did  not  encourage  them  in  the  least.  They 
told  her  who  would  have  favored  Helen 
and  who  would  have  opposed  her,  and 
why;  that  some  said  she  was  too  young 
and  others  that  she  needed  experience; 
others  that  the  children  would  not  respect 
her  because  they  had  gone  to  school  with 
her ;  others  thought  a  "  male  teacher  " 
was  necessary  to  govern  the  "  big  boys." 
And  Jones,  the  director,  said  apologet- 
ically :  — 

"Wall,  if  we  had  ha'  give  the  school 
to  Helen  Smith,  she  couldn't  ha'  taught 
Mary  Ann,  for  they's  in  the  same  class 
year  before  last.  Miss  Scruggs  is  a  thor- 
ough graduate,  and  can  teach  anything 
from  a  b  c  to  Latin  and  philosophy,  while 
Helen  Smith  ha'in't  never  been  to  school 
anywhere  but  a  year  and  a  half  to  that 
boardm'  school  in  town  where  they  don't 


36  THE   LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

teach  nothin'  but  how  to  dress  fine,  talk 
proper,  and  put  on  airs." 

If  Helen  chanced  to  hear  any  of  these 
unkind  things  that  were  told  to  her 
mother,  she  either  smiled  good  naturedly 
or  blushed  with  indignation.  She  seldom 
said  anything  about  them,  and  never  a 
word  in  the  nature  of  harsh  criticism  or 
defense.  When  she  and  her  mother  were 
alone,  they  talked  frequently  of  their  plans 
and  hopes  and  of  the  difficulties  that  be- 
set them.  Helen  told  her  mother  of  an 
excellent  address  that  she  had  heard  at 
the  Institute  on  "  The  Advantages  and 
Disadvantages  of  the  Teachers  Calling." 
The  teacher  who  gave  the  lecture  said 
that  one  of  the  first  things  a  person  must 
learn  who  desires  to  teach  successfully  is 
to  ignore  criticism. 

"  These  people,"  said  Helen,  "  are  hon- 
est in  their  opinions  and  they  do  not  mean 
any  harm  by  saying  that  I  am  too  young, 
or  that  I  am  incompetent.      To  be  sure, 


AT    HOME   AGAIN  87 

mother,  I  am  young  and  incompetent ;  but 
if  I  get  a  school  I  will  do  the  best  I  pos- 
sibly can,  and  I  hope  that  you  will  not  be 
ashamed  of  me.  I  feel  that  I  learned 
much  at  the  Institute  that  will  be  helpful 
to  me,  and  I  also  found  that  by  reading 
the  professional  books  and  journals  I  can 
get  from  them  continually,  day  by  day, 
as  I  need  it,  the  counsel  of  the  very  best 
teachers.  Mr.  Jordan  took  subscriptions 
for  teachers'  journals  at  the  Institute. 
He  gave  me  sample  copies  of  several, 
which  I  read  carefully,  and  I  found  so 
much  in  them  that  might  be  useful  that  I 
wished  I  could  subscribe  for  one  of  them, 
and  yet  I  knew  that  we  could  not  afford 
to  spend  money  for  such  things.  He 
noticed  that  I  was  interested,  and  urged 
me  to  subscribe.  I  asked  him  privately 
if  I  could  not  help  him  solicit,  and  write 
receipts  for  him  at  the  recesses  in  pay- 
ment for  a  year's  subscription  to  the  Na- 
tional Primary  School. 


38  THE    LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

"  '  Certainly/  said  he.  '  I  have  been 
wishing  that  I  had  some  one  to  help  me, 
but  did  not  know  whom  to  ask/ 

"  At  the  close  of  the  Institute  he  had 
more  subscriptions  than  he  had  expected, 
several  of  which  I  had  secured  for  him. 
I  had  also  written  a  great  many  receipts. 
He  therefore  very  generously  put  me 
down  for  a  year's  subscription,  not  only 
to  the  National  Primary  School,  but  also 
to  the  Country  Teacher's  Monthly. 

"  No,  mother,  this  trivial  criticism  you 
hear  so  much  does  not  bother  me,  but  I 
wish  people  would  stop  coming  to  you 
with  it." 

"  And  so  do  I,  Helen.  There  are  so 
many  other  things  pleasanter  to  talk 
about." 

"  One  of  our  lecturers  said  he  would 
give  us  as  a  memory  gem  some  very  old 
lines  that  are  not  poetry,  but  that  would 
prove  valuable  as  advice.  They  were 
these : 


AT    HOME   AGAIN  39 

" '  You  may  go  through  the  world,  but  it  will 
be  slow, 
If  you  listen  to  all  that  is  said  as  you  go ; 
For   people   will   talk.' " 

Helen  told  her  mother  that  before  leav- 
ing the  Institute  Miss  Wise,  several  of 
the  instructors,  the  Superintendent,  and 
Colonel  Rutherford  had  each  volunteered 
to  help  her  secure  a  position. 

"  It  seems  that  with  so  much  assistance 
you  should  succeed.  Let  us  hope  you 
will/' 

"  And  I  do  hope,  for  their  sakes,  as 
well  as  yours  and  my  own,  that  if  I  get  a 
position  it  will  be  one  that  I  can  fill  with 
credit;  but  I  do  not  now  see  how  I  could 
leave  you  with  the  home  and  the  children 
to  care  for.  However,  let  us  expect  you 
to  recover  soon.  A  good  rest  will  benefit 
you  more  than  anything  else,  and  you 
shall  have  that  while  I  am  at  home." 


CHAPTER  VIII 

OLD  JIM  BURTON'S  SCHEME 

5J}  OWN  on  Depot  Street  near  the  pub- 
<-^>  lie  square  in  the  county  seat  there  is 
a  dingy  office  occupied  by  a  poorly  clad 
little  old  man.  He  is  hump-backed,  red- 
faced,  and  shaggy-haired.  A  stranger 
would  suppose  him  to  be  very  poor.  In 
fact,  he  is  poor,  notwithstanding  he  has 
much  money,  for  he  is  friendless.  Behold 
him  walking  briskly  to  and  from  the 
Register's  office  in  the  court-house, 
through  crowds  of  people,  with  his  fists 
clenched  firmly,  apparently  making  calcu- 
lations in  half-audible  tones.  No  cordial 
greetings  are  exchanged,  for  he  has  no 
time  to  talk  except  on  business.  This  is 
old  Mark  Hopper,  the  money  shark  of  the 
county,  the  man  who  "  accommodates " 
people  only  for  pay,  and  "  helps  "  them  for 
profit  in  times  of  misfortune.  He  it  was 
who  held  the  mortgage  on  the  Smith  place. 
As  the  sun  rose  one  bright  morning  in 
June,  old  Jim  Burton,  the  most  covetous 

(40) 


OLD   JIM    BURTON'S    SCHEME  41 

farmer  in  the  Smith  neighborhood, 
walked  out  on  his  veranda  and  looked 
over  the  landscape.  But  he  was  not  con- 
cerned with  its  beauty,  nor  conscious  of 
the  songs  the  birds  were  singing.  He  was 
thinking  of  how  he  might  add  the  Smith 
farm  to  his  own  for  less  than  its  worth. 

"  Umph,  humph !  "  said  he  to  himself, 
"  I  think  I  can  fix  it.  Old  Mark  Hopper 
has  a  mortgage  on  this  place  which  is  past 
due,  and  he  would  close  out  his  daddy 
for  twenty-five  dollars.  I  will  go  down 
and  see  him  to-day." 

By  nine  o'clock  that  morning  the 
farmer  and  the  miser  had  their  heads  to- 
gether over  the  unfolded  mortgage  in  the 
latter's  office,  and  were  talking  scarcely 
above  a  whisper,  although  no  one  else 
was  near  nor  even  a  footstep  was  audible 
on  the  street.  When  Burton  left  the 
office,  he  did  so  by  a  back  door,  and  after 
reaching  the  main  street  through  an  alley, 
he  sauntered  around  in  his  usual  manner. 


CHAPTER  IX 

AUNT  ANN'S  APPRECIATION 

^ARLY  Monday  morning,  after  Helen 
^  had  been  at  home  a  week,  she  heard 
a  carriage  stop  at  their  front  gate,  and 
ran  to  see  who  it  was. 

"  O  mother,  it  is  Uncle  William! "  she 
shouted,  and  rushed  down  the  walk  to 
meet  him. 

Uncle  William  was  her  mother's  only 
brother,  a  large,  good-natured  man, 
who  had  a  kind  word  for  everybody 
and  made  merriment  wherever  he  went. 
When  he  had  come  into  the  house  and 
greeted  each  member  of  the  family,  he 
refused  to  be  seated,  saying  that  he  would 
be  back  about  three  o'clock,  and  that  he 
had  come  prepared  to  carry  the  whole 
family  home  with  him.  He  would  listen 
to  no  excuses  from  Mrs.  Smith,  but  in  a 
jolly  tone,  yet  in  deep  earnest,  as  he  hur- 
ried out  of  the  room  he  said :  — 

"  Now  you  must  all  be  ready  by  three 

(42) 


AUNT    ANN'S    APPRECIATION  43 

o'clock,  for  Fm  coming,  and  you've  got 
to  go.  Helen,  your  Aunt  Ann  is  cooking 
cakes  and  pies  for  you,  and  it  would  never 
do  to  let  them  spoil.  When  she  saw  what 
the  paper  said  about  you  last  night,  she 
said,  '  I  want  you  to  stop  there  to-mor- 
row as  you  go  to  town,  and  have  them  all 
come  home  with  you.  Helen  and  her 
mother  both  need  a  change,  and  besides 
we  want  to  do  something  to  show  how 
proud  we  are  of  our  niece/  " 

"  Uncle  William,  what  did  the  paper 
have  to  say  about  me?" 

"  Have  n't  you  seen  it?  " 

"  No ;   please  tell  me/' 

"  Here,  you  can  take  it  and  read  it  for 
yourself  while  I  am  gone." 

Helen  took  the  paper,  and  soon  found 
the  report  of  the  examination,  with  the 
grades  arranged  "  in  the  order  of  their 
general  excellence."  Helen's  name  stood 
first    among    those    entitled    to    primary 


44  THF   UTTLF   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

certificates,  and  of  these  there  were 
twenty-one. 

"  Is  Miss  Scruggs's  name  there?  "  said 
Helen's  mother. 

"  Let  me  see." 

She  read  the  whole  list  through  with 
the  grades,  and  came  to  Miss  Scruggs's 
at  number  nineteen. 

"  I  wonder  what  Mr.  Jones  will  think 
of  his  '  thorough  graduate  ■  now  ?  "  said 
Mrs.  Smith. 

"  Oh,  never  mind,  mother ;  the  poor 
girl  is  not  to  blame  for  getting  the  school 
nor  for  what  Mr.  Jones  said  about  me." 

Uncle  William  came  back  promptly  at 
three  o'clock,  and  had  with  him  an 
unusual  number  of  packages,  but  as 
the  carriage  was  a  large  one,  designed  to 
accommodate  his  whole  family,  and  was 
drawn  by  two  horses,  it  was  well  able  to 
carry  everybody  and  everything  over  the 
excellent  road  that  intervened. 


CHAPTER  X 

COLONEL  RUTHERFORD'S  LETTER 
^YNCLE  WILLIAM  lived  on  a  fertile 
little  farm  in  the  hills,  fifteen  miles 
from  town.  He  had  a  nice,  olain  country 
house  and  a  large  barn,  with  all  sorts  of 
domestic  animals  and  fowls  in  abundance. 
The  river  was  half  a  mile  away.  He 
had  a  son  fourteen  years  old  and  two 
daughters  well-nigh  grown.  Helen  and 
her  sisters  enjoyed  the  society  of  their 
cousins  to  the  utmost  from  morning 
until  night.  They  climbed  fruit  trees, 
drove  the  cows  to  pasture,  rode  the  horses 
to  water,  played  hide  and  seek  in  the  hay, 
waded  in  the  branch,  climbed  to  the  tops 
of  the  highest  hills,  fished  in  the  river, 
and  froliced  for  hours  under  the  shade 
of  the  trees.  Mrs.  Smith  and  her 
brother's  wife  enjoyed  the  days  at  the 
house  almost  as  much  as  their  children 
did  in  the  woods  and  fields.  Mrs.  Smith's 
strength   improved  from  day  to  day  as 

(45) 


46  THE   UTTEE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

if  by    magic.     She    declared    sometimes 
that  she  had  not  felt  so  well  in  three  years. 

Uncle  William  had  a  great  many  pleas- 
ant things  to  say,  but  was  not  quite  so 
full  of  fun  as  usual.  At  times  he  seemed 
to  be  thinking  of  something  far  away, 
and  when  spoken  to,  would  start  suddenly 
as  one  caught  dozing  on  duty,  and  ask 
what  was  said.  He  was  gone  from  home 
much  of  the  time,  and  at  night  excused 
himself  on  account  of  being  tired.  Wed- 
nesday he  went  to  town  again.  That 
night  when  the  children  had  retired,  he 
said:  — 

"  Sister,  I  have  something  disagreeable 
to  tell  you.  I  have  known  for  several 
days  that  old  Mark  Hopper  was  prepar- 
ing to  sell  your  farm  to  satisfy  that  mort- 
gage, but  I  thought  I  could  raise  the 
nioney  myself,  and  not  trouble  you  about 
it.  I  thought  I  could  get  it  from  Jim  Bur- 
ton, who  lives  just  this  side  of  you.  He 
has  plenty  of  money,  and  does  not  owe  a 


COLONEL  RUTHERFORD'S  LETTER      47 

dollar,  and  could  easily  raise  twice  that 
amount  if  he  wanted  to.  But  the  way  he 
talked  to-day  aroused  my  suspicion.  He 
said  that  the  place  was  going  to  ruin  so 
rapidly  that  he  did  not  feel  like  risking 
anything  on  it.  Finally  he  said,  whining 
through  his  nose :  — 

"  '  But  to  accommodate  Mrs.  Smith,  I 
will  pay  off  the  debt  for  the  place,  and  let 
her  stay  on  it  if  you  will  sign  the  notes 
for  the  rent/ 

"  I  went  on  to  town  and  had  Mr.  Dun- 
can, the  banker,  go  and  talk  to  Hopper 
about  extending  the  time,  but  the  old 
skinflint  said  that  the  place  was  already 
advertised  to  sell  Saturday,  and  it  was  too 
late  to  make  any  other  arrangements. 

"  Since  the  prices  of  live  stock  and  land 
have  been  so  low  I  have  become  some- 
what involved  myself.  I  owe  the  bank 
and  several  individuals  from  whom  I  used 
to  get  money,  consequently  I  do  not  see 
how  I  am  to  help  you  out." 


48  THE    UTTEE    SCHOOLMISTRESS 

Mrs.  Smith  slept  very  little  that  night, 
and  the  next  morning  told  Helen  of  their 
distress.  For  some  time  they  wept  to- 
gether. Mrs.  Smith  was  overcome  phys- 
ically, and  spent  the  greater  part  of  the 
next  day  in  bed. 

Friday  Uncle  William  went  to  town 
again.  As  the  distance  was  fifteen  miles, 
it  was  very  late  when  he  reached  home. 
He  had  brought  Mrs.  Smith's  mail  from 
the  village  post-office  by  the  way.  There 
was  an  unusual  amount  of  it.  Besides 
the  journals  Helen  had  subscribed  for, 
and  the  local  paper,  there  was  a  letter  for 
Mrs.  Smith  from  Colonel  Rutherford, 
and  several  for  Helen.  Mrs.  Smith  tore 
open  hers  with  trembling  hands,  expect- 
ing to  find  that  the  Colonel  was  acting  as 
attorney  for  old  Mr.  Hopper,  the  mort- 
gagee. Suddenly  her  face  brightened 
as  the  sky  does  when  the  sun  breaks 
through  a  rift  in  the  clouds  after  a  storm. 


COLONEL  RUTHERFORD'S  LETTER       49 

"  Just  listen,  Helen,"  she  said,  and  read 
the  Colonel's  letter  aloud :  — 

"  Dear  Madam  :  It  reminds  me  of  old  times 
to  have  the  pleasure  of  addressing  a  letter  to  you. 

"  Permit  me  to  say  that  I  have  to-day  bought 
the  note  secured  by  the  mortgage  on  your  home, 
and  that  both  note  and  mortgage  are  now  in 
my  possession.  Therefore  Mr.  Hopper  has  no 
further  claims  on  your  husband's  estate. 

"  I  trust  that  you  will  not  find  me  a  hard 
creditor.  It  is  probable  that  I  shall  not  need 
the  money  for  several  years.  I  beg  that  you 
now  feel  free  to  concern  yourself  about  the  edu- 
cation of  your  children  rather  than  the  payment 
of  this  debt." 

While  Mrs.  Smith  read  the  letter  again 
to  satisfy  herself  that  she  had  made  no 
mistake,  Helen  was  reading  hers.  Sud- 
denly, almost  springing  from  her  seat, 
she  exclaimed :  — 

"  O  mother,  I  have  some  good  news 
too!  Just  listen  to  the  County  Superin- 
tendent's letter :  — 

"  Miss  Smith  :  You  have  doubtless  seen  the 
results  of  the  teachers'  examination,  as  published 
in  the  papers  this  week.      I  have  arranged  with 


50  the;  little  schoolmistress 

the  directors  of  the  9th  District  for  you  to  teach 
the  school  at  Shady  Grove  at  a  salary  of  $30  per 
month.  Board  will  cost  you  very  little,  and  you 
will  be  near  enough  home  to  visit  your  mother 
once  a  month.  Although  it  is  a  prosperous 
neighborhood,  they  have  not  had  a  satisfactory 
school  in  years.  I  have  great  faith  in  your 
ability  to  succeed  there,  and  for  this  reason  I 
prevailed   upon   the   directors   to   elect   you." 

This  timely  assistance  rendered  by  Col- 
onel Rutherford  was  due  in  part  to  ties  of 
friendship,  and  in  part  to  the  occurrences 
at  the  Institute  lawn  party ;  but  the  imme- 
diate cause  is  of  interest. 

Shortly  after  the  Institute  closed,  Col- 
onel Rutherford  happened  to  go  into  the 
office  of  the  weekly  News  on  business. 
While  waiting  for  some  proof,  the  printer 
laid  down  near  by  some  freshly  printed 
circulars,  and  handed  him  one.  He  was 
surprised  to  find  that  it  advertised  the 
Smith  farm  for  sale.  He  noticed  also 
that  the  circular  bore  a  date  two  weeks 
past,  and  suspected  a  scheme.     Half  an 


COLONEL  RUTHERFORD'S  LETTER       51 

hour  later  he  met  the  mortgagee  and  dis- 
interestedly said :  — 

"  I  see  that  you  have  advertised  the 
Smith  place  for  sale." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  miser,  "  I  want  to  get 
my  money  out  of  it  before  it  is  too  late. 
The  place  is  already  very  much  run  down, 
and  is  gettin'  worse  ev'ry  day." 

"  That  used  to  be  a  fine  little  farm," 
said  Colonel  Rutherford,  "  and  I  would 
be  glad  if  you  would  defer  foreclosure  of 
the  mortgage  for  another  year.  I  fear 
the  place  will  not  bring  what  it  is  worth 
if  sold  now.  It  would  be  a  pity  for  that 
widow  and  her  children  to  lose  anything. 
Mrs.  Smith  is  an  honorable  woman,  and 
will  certainly  take  no  advantage  of  you." 

"  Yes,  but  business  is  business,  and  I 
must  save  myself,  you  see,"  said  the 
miser. 

The  next  morning  Colonel  Rutherford 
drove  out  past  the  Smith  place  "  on  busi- 
ness."    While  in  the  village,  he  learned 


52  THE   LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

that  the  covetous  farmer  referred  to  had 
been  seen  going  to  the  miser's  office  two 
or  three  times  lately,  and  the  post-master, 
a  very  shrewd  man,  intimated  to  Colonel 
Rutherford  that  he  was  probably  schem- 
ing to  get  the  Smith  place  for  less  than  it 
was  worth. 

"  It  would  be  a  shame  for  him  to  do 
so,"  said  he. 

As  Colonel  Rutherford  drove  back 
to  town,  he  let  his  horse  walk  slowly  up 
the  hill  by  the  Smith  place.  He  got 
thirsty,  and  stopped  for  a  drink.  Al- 
though no  one  was  at  home,  he  passed 
through  the  yard  and  back  to  the  old 
spring-house  half  way  to  the  barn. 
Though  the  buildings  and  fences  needed 
some  small  repairs,  they  were  really  in 
good  condition.  Everything  about  the 
premises  was  neat  and  in  good  order. 

The  next  morning  Colonel  Rutherford 
said  to  the  banker,  "  Mr.  Duncan,  can 
you  tell  me  anything  about  the  mortgage 


COLONEL  RUTHERFORD'S  LETTER       53 

which  old  Mark  Hopper  holds  on  the 
Smith  place?" 

"  Certainly,"  said  he,  "  I  have  it  here 
in  the  vault." 

"  I  would  like  to  satisfy  it.  Can  I  do 
so  at  once  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  the  banker ;  "  the  old  man 
endorsed  the  note,  and  authorized  me  to 
accept  payment  on  it  for  him  in  his  ab- 
sence, and  he  is  in  Nashville  to-day." 

Colonel  Rutherford  stepped  to  the  desk 
at  the  side  of  the  room,  made  figures  for 
a  few  minutes,  then  wrote  a  check  for  the 
full  amount  due,  and  handed  it  to  the 
banker. 

"  Please  place  the  note  and  mortgage 
with  my  others." 

"  I  will,"  said  the  banker,  in  whose 
tones  there  was  a  note  of  emphasis  sug- 
gestive of  satisfaction. 


CHAPTER  XI 

HELEN'S  ARRIVAL  AT  SHADY  GROVE 
%C  BOUT  one  o'clock  on  the  Friday 
^  before  the  Shady  Grove  school  was 
to  open  on  Monday,  Helen,  accompa- 
nied by  her  Uncle  William,  arrived  in  the 
neighborhood.  Previous  to  leaving  home 
Uncle  William  and  Helen's  mother  had 
discussed  with  her  many  questions  rela- 
tive to  her  new  work.  They  had  all 
agreed  that  she  must  find  a  home  in 
a  family  whose  influence  would  be  helpful 
to  her,  reasonably  near  the  school,  and 
one  in  which  she  could  have  a  room  to 
herself,  so  that  she  could  make  all  neces- 
sary preparations  for  her  daily  work. 

They  were  cordially  received  at  Es- 
quire Brown's  home,  where  Uncle  Wil- 
liam had  made  arrangements  for  her  to 
board  temporarily.  Here  they  had  din- 
ner, rested  for  an  hour,  and  Uncle  Wil- 
liam departed. 

Before  sunset  Esquire  Brown's  fifteen- 

(64) 


HELEN'S    ARRIVAL    AT    SHADY    GROVE)  55 

year-old  daughter  and  Helen  had  in- 
spected the  school-house  thoroughly. 
They  found  it  in  a  very  untidy  condition 
and  considerably  dilapidated.  The  door 
had  been  standing  open  most  of  the  long 
vacation.  Several  window  panes  were 
out,  and  the  stove  very  rusty,  having  been 
used  as  a  water  stand  during  the  pro- 
tracted meeting  and  on  various  other  oc- 
casions, was  behind  the  door  with  two 
pine  buckets  on  it.  One  of  them  fell  to 
pieces  when  Helen  took  hold  of  it. 

On  the  walls  were  several  grotesque 
caricatures  and  names  written  in  large 
flourishes.  The  small  blackboard  was 
not  only  very  poor,  but  very  much  soiled. 
To  the  right  of  the  front  door  a  few  steps 
was  an  old  ash  heap,  and  to  the  left 
of  the  door  a  broken  recitation  bench. 
After  a  few  minutes,  stay  at  the  school- 
house,  they  went  to  the  spring,  some  three 
hundred  yards  away.  It  had  the  ruins  of 
a  rail  pen  around  it,  which  were  not  suffi- 


56  THE   UTTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

cient  to  prevent  invasions  by  geese  and 
pigs.  The  spring  itself  was  half  filled 
with  dirt  and  leaves,  and  the  branch  be- 
low was  choked  with  mud  and  grass  until 
the  water  flowed  sluggishly. 

Esquire  Brown's  daughter,  whom  we 
shall  know  hereafter  as  Katharine,  talked 
incessantly.  She  told  Helen  the  history 
of  several  preceding  sessions  in  minute 
detail,  and  seemed  ashamed  of  the  condi- 
tion in  which  the  new  teacher  had  found 
things.  Helen  listened  attentively  to 
everything,  and  asked  her  a  question  now 
and  then,  but  did  not  censure  any  one  nor 
complain. 

When  they  had  finished  their  inspec- 
tion, Helen  looked  back  toward  the 
school-house  from  the  spring  and  said: 
"  Katharine,  wouldn't  you  like  to  help  me 
get  the  school-house  in  better  condition 
before  we  come  here  to  open  school?  I 
do  not  think  you  would  enjoy  staying  in 


HELEN'S    ARRIVAL   AT    SHADY    GROVE  57 

such  a  dirty  place,  since  it  is  so  different 
from  your  own  home." 

"  Indeed,  I  wouldn't,"  said  Katharine 
with  a  good  deal  of  emphasis.  "  That 
house  is  n't  fit  for  a  pig  to  go  to  school  in. 
And  that  spring  used  to  be  such  a  good 
one.  Papa  came  over  here  and  built  that 
pen  around  it  and  cleaned  it  out  nicely 
year  before  last.  The  water  was  so  fine 
then." 

"  Do  you  think  your  father  would  be 
willing  to  clean  it  out  again  for  us  ?  "  in- 
quired Helen. 

"Why,  yes,  indeed,"  said  Katharine, 
"  I  am  sure  he  would,  and  I  will  ask  him 
as  soon  as  I  get  home.  Papa  always  does 
anything  that  the  teacher  wants  done." 

"  Do  you  think  we  could  get  some 
of  the  boys  and  girls  in  the  neighborhood 
to  help  us  clean  up  the  house  to-morrow  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  think  so,"  said  Katharine,  and 
then  she  began  to  enumerate  first  her 
cousins  and  then  her  neighbors  until  she 


58  THE  UTTLE  SCHOOLMISTRESS) 

had  counted  at  least  a  dozen  that  she; 
thought  would  be  willing  to  assist  them. 

That  afternoon  when  Katharine  and 
her  father  were  milking  down  at  the  big 
gate  by  the  road,  two  large  barefoot  boys 
on  horseback  came  dashing  toward  them, 
raising  a  great  cloud  of  dust.  As  soon 
as  they  reached  the  gate  where  Esquire 
Brown  and  Katharine  were  milking,  they 
slackened  their  speed,  for  this  had  evi- 
dently been  their  goal. 

"  Look  out  here,  boys,"  said  Esquire 
Brown,  as  he  barely  escaped  being  run 
over  by  one  of  the  cows. 

"  'Scuse  us,  please,  sir,  we  did  n't  see 
you,"  said  one  of  them.     "  We's  just  a 


racin\" 


"Oh,  that's  all  right,  boys.  I  don't 
blame  you  for  having  a  little  fun.  You 
will  have  to  get  down  to  business  next 
week  anyway !  " 

"Say,  Charlie,"  said  Katharine,  "I 
want  you  to  get  down  to  business  before 


HELEN'S   ARRIVAL   AT    SHADY   GROVE  59 

next  week.  The  new  teacher  and  me  went 
over  to  the  school-house  this  afternoon, 
and  it  is  in  an  awful  mess.  I  was  so 
'shamed  of  it  I  didn't  know  what  to  do. 
The  new  teacher  didn't  say  much,  but 
she's  just  as  nice  as  can  be,  and  I  could 
see  that  she's  real  anxious  to  get  every- 
thing cleaned  up  before  school  opens. 
Won't  you  boys  come  over  there  to-mor- 
row and  help  us  ?  " 

"  You  bet.  We  ain't  got  nothin'  else 
to  do  anyway,  and  that'll  be  fun." 

"  Say,"  said  Katharine,  "  I'll  tell  you 
what  I  want  you  to  do  right  away." 

"What?" 

"  Tell  every  boy  and  girl  you  can  see 
to  meet  us  there  at  half  past  eight  to-mor- 
row morning.  Have  them  bring  a  bucket, 
a  broom,  or  a  hoe  or  a  shovel  or  a  duster 
or  a  bundle  of  old  newspapers  or  any- 
thing else  that  people  use  when  they  are 
cleaning  up  a  place.    They'll  all  be  handy, 


60 


THE   UTTI/E   SCHOOLMISTRESS 


for  the  yard  needs  it  too.    Now  you  boys 
strike  out  and  tell  everybody." 

"All  right,"  said  the  boys,  and  as  they 
dashed  away  Charlie  shouted,  "  Now, 
'Squire,  I  guess  you  can  finish  milkin'." 


CHAPTER  XII 

"GETTING  DOWN  TO  BUSINESS" 
firS  Helen  sat  in  her  room  alone  that 
night,  she  felt  that  a  great  respon- 
sibility rested  upon  her,  yet  she  was  eager 
to  begin  her  work.  She  had  found  out 
from  Katharine  where  teachers  had  been 
accustomed  to  board.  On  their  way  to  the 
school-house  that  afternoon  they  passed 
two  or  three  of  these  places,  and  she 
had  learned,  without  arousing  Katharine's 
suspicions,  pretty  well  the  character  of 
domestic  life  in  each,  the  accommodations, 
the  standing  of  the  families  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, and  what  other  teachers  had 
paid  for  board.  She  had  also  learned  that 
if  she  remained  at  Esquire  Brown's  she 
would  have  to  pay  $2.00  per  month  more 
than  at  some  of  these  other  places.  She 
realized  the  necessity  of  being  economical, 
yet  after  due  consideration  she  decided 
to  make  arrangements  for  a  permanent 
home  with  a  room  to  herself  at  Esquire 
Brown's. 

(61) 


62  THE   UTTI,E   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

As  she  thought  of  the  dirty  and  neg- 
lected school-house,  her  mind  reverted 
often  to  the  things  that  she  had  heard  in 
the  Institute  and  read  in  books  and  school 
journals,  about  the  necessity  for  cleanli- 
ness, order,  and  beauty  in  the  school- 
room. She  formed  her  plans  for  the  mor- 
row, and  retired. 

Saturday  morning  the  weather  was 
beautiful,  and  Helen  rose  early.  In  fact, 
the  Browns  were  early  risers.  They  were 
at  breakfast  a  little  before  sunrise.  From 
their  seats  at  the  table  on  the  veranda 
they  could  look  out  over  the  sea  of  fog 
which  hid  the  rich  green  corn  field  in  the 
valley  to  the  indistinct  blue  hills  on  the 
horizon.  The  scene  was  such  as  might 
have  inspired  a  poet,  and  the  sensitive  soul 
of  Helen  was  deeply  impressed  with  its 
beauty.  The  Browns,  being  accustomed 
to  the  view,  made  no  reference  to  it. 

About  half  past  seven  o'clock  Helen, 
Katharine  Brown,  and  several  children 


"GETTING    DOWN    TO    BUSINESS."  63 

arrived  at  the  school-house.  As  they 
drew  near,  their  attention  was  attracted 
by  the  voices  of  children  approaching  from 
the  opposite  end  of  the  road,  who,  at  the 
summons  of  the  boys,  were  now  coming 
to  join  in  the  work  of  cleaning  up  the 
school-house.  As  the  two  groups  of  chil- 
dren raced  with  each  other  to  be  first  at 
the  door,  a  loud  laugh  burst  out  from  over 
their  heads.  Charlie  and  his  cousin  had 
hidden  themselves  among  the  branches  of 
the  large  beech  tree  in  order  to  surprise 
the  new  teacher  and  Katharine. 

Helen  chatted  pleasantly  with  the  chil- 
dren for  twenty  or  thirty  minutes,  during 
which  time  the  boys  swung  themselves 
down  from  their  places  among  the 
branches  and  several  other  children  ar- 
rived. 

"Well,"  said  Helen,  "I  am  so  glad 
that  you  have  all  come  to  help  me  this 
morning.  It  shows  that  you  would  like 
to  have  a  nice,  clean  school-house  as  much 


64  THE   UTTI,E   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

as  I  would.  There  are  some  rather  dis- 
agreeable things  here  that  we  ought  to 
do,  but  with  so  much  good  help  I  think 
we  can  soon  make  the  place  very  pleasant. 
You  can  see  that  we  ought  to  clean  up 
around  the  door,  and  get  these  ugly  pic- 
tures and  marks  off  the  walls,  sweep  the 
floor,  and  wash  the  windows,  put  the  seats 
in  their  places,  and  clean  out  the  spring. 

"  Now  I  think  it  will  be  best  for  us  to 
divide  this  work,  and  I  want  to  know 
who  are  willing  to  help." 

Of  course  they  all  were.  Whereupon 
she  opened  a  piece  of  paper  which  she 
held  in  her  hand,  and  said: — 

"Who    will    clean    out    the    spring?" 

"  Me  and  Billy,"  said  Charlie. 

"And  who  will  clean  up  around  the 
door?" 

She  wrote  down  the  names  of  the  eager 
volunteers  by  twos,  and  thus  to  the  end 
of  the  list  were  the  committees  appointed, 


"GETTING    DOWN    TO    BUSINESS."  65 

Katharine  in  the  mean  time  giving  her 
the  children's  names. 

"  Now,"  said  Helen,  "  we  have  plenty 
of  time.  Let  us  do  our  work  just  as 
well  as  we  can,  and  when  we  have  fin- 
ished, we  will  all  go  around  together  and 
see  how  well  it  is  done.  If  you  need  any- 
thing to  work  with  or  any  suggestions 
as  to  how  you  may  best  do  your  work, 
come  to  me." 

She  took  out  her  watch  and  said,  "  It 
is  half  past  eight  o'clock.  We  will  stop 
at  half  past  eleven  for  dinner.  At  that 
time  I  will  tell  you  what  we  will  do  this 
afternoon  if  we  have  not  finished.  Let  us 
begin." 

Charlie  and  Billy  darted  away  to  the 
spring  with  their  shovel  and  hoe,  fleet  as 
deer,  and  the  other  committees  began  their 
work  immediately.  They  had  been  en- 
gaged but  a  few  minutes  when  Charlie 
and  Billy  came  running  up  to  the  door, 
puffing  and  ruddy. 


66  THE   LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

"  Miss  Helen,"  said  Charlie,  "  old  Uncle 
George  has  already  cleaned  out  the  spring 
and  straightened  up  the  fence  around  it. 
He  was  just  ready  to  start  home  when 
we  got  there.  He  said  that  Captain 
Brown  told  him  to  do  that  the  first  thing 
this  morning.,, 

"  Yes,"  said  Katharine,  "  I  told  papa 
last  night  about  the  spring,  and  that  is 
why  he  had  it  done." 

"Well,  boys,  I  have  thought  of  some- 
thing else  that  we  might  do,  but  as  it 
is  rather  a  disagreeable  task,  I  will  only 
mention  it,  and  you  can  do  it  or  not  as 
you  think  best.  I  do  not  think  that  merely 
sweeping  the  floor  will  make  it  as  clean  as 
we  would  like  to  have  it.  If  we  were  to 
scrub  it,  we  would  need  several  buckets 
of  water." 

"  Yes'um,  we'll  bring  it,"  and  away 
they  went  without  waiting  for  further  in- 
structions. 

At   eleven  o'clock   the  little   company 


"GETTING    DOWN    TO    BUSINESS."  67 

began  its  inspection.  The  ash  heap  and 
broken  seat  were  gone,  and  for  two  or 
three  rods  around  the  door  all  trash  had 
been  swept  up  and  removed.  The  walls, 
blackboard,  and  windows  were  as  clean 
as  inexperienced  hands  could  make  them. 
They  found  the  spring  restored  to  its  for- 
mer attractiveness,  and  enjoyed  drinking 
large  draughts  of  the  clear,  cool  water. 
They  rested  some  ten  minutes  in  the  shade 
of  the  great  elm  trees,  and  returned  to 
the  school-house.  Helen  then  took  up 
a  small  bundle  and  unwrapped  it.  It  con- 
tained numerous  pictures  and  a  box  of 
tacks. 

"  Suppose  we  decorate  a  little,"  she 
said,  as  the  children  crowded  around  to 
see  the  pictures. 

"All  right,"  practically  all  of  them 
chimed  at  once. 

Then  they  tacked  up  a  large  lithograph 
of  George  Washington  in  the  center  above 
the    blackboard,    and    arranged    several 


68  THE   LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

groups  on  the  walls.  In  one,  Helen  told 
them,  were  "  men  who  have  written  beau- 
tiful things,"  in  another,  "  men  who  have 
done  great  deeds,"  etc.,  etc.  The  children 
were  in  no  wise  anxious  to  go  when  the 
last  picture  was  in  place,  though  a  neigh- 
boring farm  bell  was  calling  the  laborers 
to  dinner.  They  closed  the  door  and  fas- 
tened it  securely.  After  several  glances 
back,  and  numerous  expressions  as  to  how 
they  had  enjoyed  the  work,  they  went 
home. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

THE  FIRST  DAY  OF  SCHOOL 
pOR  years  it  had  been  customary  for 
religious  services  to  be  held  in  Shady 
Grove  school-house  whenever  any  one 
desired  to  preach  in  the  neighborhood. 
Sometimes  the  Baptists,  sometimes  the 
Methodists,  would  have  regular  services 
there  once  a  month,  and  at  other  times 
only  on  fifth  Sundays  and  at  such  odd 
times  as  they  could  secure  a  minister.  It 
happened  that  there  was  an  appointment 
for  preaching  on  Sunday  after  the  clean- 
ing up  by  Helen  and  her  prospective 
pupils. 

The  interest  aroused  in  religious  mat- 
ters by  the  recent  revival  and  the  curiosity 
to  see  the  school-house  after  its  renova- 
tion, as  reported  by  the  children,  brought 
out  a  larger  congregation  than  usual.  It 
is  not  surprising,  therefore,  that  when 
the  new  teacher  arrived  with  the  Brown 
family,  she  was  the  subject  of  many  re- 

(69) 


70  THE   UTTEE    SCHOOLMISTRESS 

marks  by  the  groups  of  men  seated  on 
the  fence  or  grass  under  the  shade  of 
the  trees.  When  she  entered  the  school- 
house,  not  a  few  looked  searchingly  at 
her,  and  some  of  the  younger  ones  nudged 
each  other  and  whispered  their  comments. 
Helen  was  conscious  of  what  was  taking 
place,  but  ignored  it  so  completely  as  to 
show  no  signs  of  embarrassment. 

When  the  service  was  over,  she  was  in- 
troduced to  several  people  by  Mrs.  Brown 
or  the  children  who  had  helped  her  in  the 
work  the  day  before.  She  met  every  one 
pleasantly  and  with  dignity.  She  was 
thoughtfully  polite  to  those  whom  she 
had  learned  were  opposed  to  her  coming, 
though  she  was  careful  not  to  give  them 
sufficient  attention  to  suggest  that  she  was 
especially  endeavoring  to  cultivate  their 
acquaintance.  Most  of  the  people  whom 
she  met  were  cordial,  and  complimented 
her  on  the  improved  condition  of  the 
house.     She  felt  repaid  for  her  trouble 


THE    FIRST    DAY    OF    SCHOOL  71 

already.  Several  invited  her  home  with 
them  to  dinner.  She  declined  their  invi- 
tations, stating  that  she  would  be  de- 
lighted to  visit  them  later.  As  her  ac- 
quaintance grew,  she  felt  more  at  home 
and  became  interested  in  the  people. 

Helen  arrived  at  the  school-house  early 
Monday  morning.  She  found  consider- 
able work  necessary  to  restore  the  room 
to  the  condition  in  which  she  had  left  it 
Saturday,  but  by  the  aid  of  the  larger  pu- 
pils this  was  soon  accomplished.  She  had 
learned,  too,  who  was  considered  the  worst 
boy  of  the  neighborhood,  and  was  care- 
ful to  give  him  an  important  part  to  per- 
form in  her  work  that  morning. 

She  spread  a  clean  newspaper  over  the 
old  table  for  a  cover,  arranged  her  books 
neatly  thereon,  and  set  by  them  a  glass 
of  water  in  which  was  placed  a  bunch  of 
roses.  Then  she  wrote  her  special  pro- 
gram for  the  day  on  one  end  of  the  black- 


72  THE   UTTXE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

board,  and  on  the  other  a  song  which  she 
had  learned  at  the  Institute. 

After  spending  some  twenty  minutes  in 
pleasant  but  not  effusive  greeting  to  the 
new  arrivals,  and  in  conversation  with 
those  whose  acquaintance  she  had  already 
formed,  she  rang  the  bell  for  the  children 
to  come  in  for  work.  They  did  so  rather 
noisily,  but  good  humor edly,  with  some 
little  scrambling  for  special  seats. 

She  stood  by  the  table  for  a  moment 
looking  quietly  at  them,  until  every  one 
had  given  her  close  attention  and  was 
wondering  what  she  was  about  to  do. 
Then  taking  up  her  Bible  she  said :  — 

"  I  think  it  is  proper  that  we  remember 
God  in  a  short  devotional  exercise  every 
morning.  Please  repeat  after  me  what 
I  shall  read.  When  I  have  finished,  we 
will  stand  and  repeat  the  Lord's  Prayer 
together." 

Thereupon  she  read  the  beatitudes,  and 
the  children  repeated  them  and  followed 


THE  FIRST    DAY    OF    SCHOOI,  73 

her  in  the  repetition  of  the  prayer.  When 
the  prayer  was  finished,  she  motioned 
quietly  with  her  hand,  and  they  were 
seated. 

"  Can't  we  sing  a  song  together  ?  "  she 
said.  "  I  noticed  that  you  sang  '  Rock  of 
Ages  '  yesterday.  That  is  one  of  my  fa- 
vorite songs.  I  would  like  to  have  all 
of  you  join  me  in  singing  it  now." 

By  the  time  Helen  had  sung  two  lines, 
her  sweet  voice  had  surprised  the  pupils 
completely.  Katharine  Brown  joined  in, 
and  then  the  others,  one  by  one,  until 
they  were  soon  all  singing  with  enthusi- 
asm 

Next  Helen  directed  their  attention  to 
the  new  song  on  the  blackboard.  She  as- 
sured them  that  it  was  very  pretty,  and 
that  they  could  easily  learn  to  sing  it 
as  well  as  they  now  sang  "  Rock  of  Ages." 
She  requested  all  who  could  write  to  copy 
and  learn  the  new  song,  and  gave  to  the 
few  little  ones  who  could  neither  read  nor 


74  THE   LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

write  some  pictures  which  had  been  cut  in 
pieces  for  them  to  put  together  again. 

"  Now,"  said  she,  "  while  you  do  these 
things,  I  will  write  down  your  names." 

All  were  interested  in  the  song  or  the 
busy  work  except  one  boy,  some  nine  or 
ten  years  old.  He  was  meddlesome  and 
idle.  She  looked  at  him  by  way  of  re- 
proof, and  then  spoke  to  him  pleasantly, 
and  finally  separated  him  from  the  others. 
However,  he  remained  troublesome,  and 
showed  unmistakable  signs  of  being 
a  "  spoiled  child."  After  a  while  she 
gave  all  the  others  recess,  but  kept  him 
to  talk  with  him  privately.  He  did 
somewhat  better  for  an  hour  or  two,  but 
toward  the  close  of  the  day's  session  be- 
came annoying  again,  and  she  was  obliged 
to  detain  him  when  she  dismissed  the 
others.  She  had  another  conversation 
with  him  with  a  view  to  learning  his  likes 
and  dislikes,  and  let  him  go. 

In  classifying  the  pupils  the  first  day 


the;  first  day  of  school  75 

she  had  been  careful  not  to  let  any  one  go 
into  classes  in  which  he  could  not  surely 
remain.  She  also  assigned  them  to  their 
seats  temporarily,  permitting  no  two  who 
were  in  the  same  class  to  sit  immediately 
together.  After  recess  she  gave  to  each 
a  list  of  the  books  that  he  would  need  to 
buy. 

"  I  have  no  lengthy  rules  to  give  you," 
said  she,  "  but  I  shall  expect  you  to  be- 
have properly.  '  Do  right/  is  enough  for 
the  present.  I  suppose  you  know  that  it 
is  right  to  come  to  school  promptly  and 
regularly;  to  get  your  lessons  the  best 
you  can;  and  to  behave  yourselves  like 
little  men  and  women  while  you  are  here 
and  while  on  the  way ;  to  refrain  from  the 
use  of  improper  language;  and  to  be  po- 
lite and  kind  to  one  another,  as  well  as  to 
other  people. 

"  As  you  have  behaved  yourselves  so 
well  this  morning,  I  have  been  able  to 
get  through  with  the  work  which  I  had 


76  THE   LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

intended  to  do  to-day  before  noon.  I  have 
been  wondering  if  you  would  not  like  to 
hear  a  delightful  story  which  I  read  yes- 
terday.   If  so,  I  will  tell  it  to  you." 

"  Yes,  'm,"  said  three  or  four. 

"  Let  me  show  you  how  I  would  like 
to  have  you  say  '  Yes,  ma'am  '  to  me  when 
I  ask  a  question  of  all  at  once.  Just  this 
way,"  she  said,  raising  her  hand. 

"  I  once  visited  a  school  in  which  they 
had  a  little  different  way  of  saying  it. 
They  snapped  their  fingers  instead  of 
raising  their  hands  quietly  as  I  have  sug- 
gested. I  like  this  quiet  way  better.  Now 
how  many  would  like  to  hear  the  story  ?  " 

The  hands  came  up  quietly  without  ex- 
ception. Then  she  related  one  of  Joel 
Chandler  Harris's  old  plantation  stories 
in  an  interesting  manner,  and  dismissed 
them  with  a  request  that  all  be  there  at 
8 :  30  the  next  morning,  as  she  would  have 
something  of  special  interest  for  them 
after  the  devotional  exercises. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

"A  PECULIAR  BOY" 

<3TT  ONDAY  afternoon  Helen  slept  for 
a  short  while,  then  went  for  a  walk. 
When  she  returned,  she  prepared  a  new 
program  for  the  next  day,  and  planned 
her  busy  work  to  interest  the  little  chil- 
dren. She  decided  to  tell  the  school  one 
story  each  morning  about  the  persons 
whose  pictures  she  had  tacked  on  the  wall 
until  she  had  exhausted  the  list.  She  also 
selected  a  well-known  juvenile  book  from 
which  she  planned  to  read  them  one 
chapter  each  afternoon.  In  revising  her 
program  she  limited  the  number  of  recita- 
tions so  as  to  make  provisions  for  thor- 
ough class  work  and  special  exercises  for 
the  general  good  of  the  school.  Helen 
reviewed  that  afternoon  and  evening  ev- 
ery lesson  that  she  expected  to  teach  dur- 
ing the  next  day. 

Tuesday  morning  she  started  to  school 
early  with  a  bunch  of  fresh  flowers  for 

(77) 


78  THE   UTTIJJ   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

her  table.  When  she  arrived,  she  set  the 
house  in  order  as  she  had  done  Monday 
morning,  and  fifteen  minutes  before  the 
hour  for  the  devotional  exercises,  called  in 
those  children  who  were  present.  During 
this  time  she  went  about  over  the  room, 
asking  them  if  they  needed  any  assistance 
with  their  lessons,  and  helping  those  who 
desired  it.  As  the  other  children  arrived, 
they  came  in  quietly,  and  took  their  places 
almost  as  if  they  had  been  accustomed  to 
do  so  for  years. 

Promptly  at  8 :  30  she  conducted  devo- 
tional exercises  similar  to  those  of  the  pre- 
vious day.  Then  for  ten  minutes  they 
sang  the  new  song.  Soon  all  were  able 
to  sing  it  through  with  but  little  difficulty. 
She  told  them  one  of  the  best  stories  of 
George  Washington,  referred  to  his  pic- 
ture on  the  wall,  and  intimated  that  she 
had  other  stories  to  tell  them  about  the 
great  men  whose  pictures  she  had  used 
in  the  decorations. 


"A    PECULIAR    BOY."  79 

"  We  have  met  here,"  she  said,  "  to 
study  our  lessons  and  recite  them.  Every 
one  of  us  has  something  of  his  own  to  do. 
If  we  meddle  with  the  work  of  others, 
we  will  interfere  with  them  and  fail  to  do 
our  own.  Our  school  hours  are  for  study 
and  recitation,  and  our  recesses  for  play. 
We  shall  have  plenty  of  recess,  and  there- 
fore we  shall  not  expect  any  one  to  play  in 
school.  I  like  play  as  well  as  any  of  you, 
and  I  want  to  learn  all  of  your  games  and 
perhaps  teach  you  some  new  ones. 

"  Please  observe  what  I  have  written  on 
the  blackboard.  Those  of  you  who  can 
read  will  see  that  I  have  provided  a  time 
for  each  recitation,  and  also  a  time  for 
studying  each  lesson.  The  clock  will  hang 
here  where  you  can  all  see  it.  Please  fol- 
low the  program.  You  see,  for  example, 
that  while  the  third  reader  class  is  recit- 
ing,  the  fourth  reader  pupils  will  be  study- 
ing their  arithmetic;  and  while  the  fourth 
reader  class  is  reciting  its  arithmetic,  the 

6 


80  THE   UTTIvE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

fifth  reader  pupils  will  be  studying  their 
geography  lesson,  and  so  with  all. 

"  Besides  our  regular  school  work,  I 
find  that  we  have  now  two  duties  to  per- 
form daily.  The  school-house  must  be 
kept  in  order,  and  water  must  be  brought. 
There  are  enough  of  you  to  do  these  things 
without  their  being  a  hardship  on  any  of 
you.  Therefore,  to  be  entirely  fair  to  all, 
I  have  made  out  two  lists  including  all 
who  are  large  enough  to  do  such  work, 
one  for  sweeping  and  the  other  for  bring- 
ing the  water.  I  will  now  tack  them  up 
here  where  you  can  see  them  at  recess. 
Let  each  learn  when  his  time  comes.  I 
am  sure  that  our  boys  will  be  glad  to  bring 
water,  and  that  our  girls  will  take  pride 
in  keeping  the  house  in  good  order." 

But  for  Johnnie  Sims,  who  was  trouble- 
some on  Monday,  Tuesday  would  have 
passed  without  the  least  unpleasantness. 
However,  he  was  more  idle  and  more  an- 
noying than  on  the  previous  day.     As  he 


"A   PECULIAR    BOY."  81 

became  better  acquainted  with  the  teacher, 
he  began  to  show  signs  of  impertinence, 
and  even  a  rebellious  disposition,  as  Helen 
became  more  positive  with  him.  That 
afternoon  she  stopped  at  his  home  and 
talked  for  half  an  hour  with  his  mother, 
who  said  that  he  was  regarded  by  every- 
body as  an  extremely  bright  child,  but 
somewhat  "  peculiar  in  that  he  always 
wanted  to  have  his  own  way."  Helen  ad- 
mitted that  he  had  shown  this  disposition 
at  school.  She  explained  the  situation 
courteously,  but  clearly,  and  expressed 
the  hope  that  with  their  co-operation  he 
would  not  cause  further  trouble. 

On  the  next  day  there  was  no  improve- 
ment. He  left  his  seat  several  times  to 
whisper  to  others,  and  Helen  finally 
placed  him  on  the  front  seat  near  her  ta- 
ble. As  soon  as  she  directed  her  attention 
to  the  class,  he  got  up  on  his  knees  facing 
the  pupils  on  the  seat  just  behind  him, 
and  began  to  make  grimaces  at  the  little 


82  THE   LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

girl  nearest  him.  Then  he  began  to  erase 
the  work  on  her  slate  with  his  fingers. 
Finally  Helen  put  him  on  a  seat  entirely 
to  himself  in  one  corner  of  the  room. 
Here  he  remained  until  recess.  After  re- 
cess he  returned  to  his  regular  seat.  Half 
an  hour  later,  however,  Helen  discovered 
that  he  was  eating  his  lunch.  She  took 
what  remained  from  him,  and  sent  him 
back  to  his  seat  in  the  corner,  with  some 
well  chosen  "busy  work,"  but  it  did  not 
interest  him.  At  noon  she  detained  him 
for  twenty  minutes.  During  this  time  he 
whined,  talked  pettishly  about  "  wanting 
his  dinner/'  and  even  intimated  that  he 
was  going  to  have  it  anyway.  That  after- 
noon Helen  found  him  carving  his  initials 
on  the  seat.  Then  she  took  his  knife  from 
him.  In  its  stead  she  gave  him  a  copy  of 
the  Youth's  Companion  containing  a  very 
pretty  little  story  which  she  said  he  would 
doubtless  like  to  read.  He  turned  through 
the  paper  for  a  few  minutes,  looked  at  the 


"A   PECULIAR    BOY."  83 

pictures,  and  proceeded  to  chew  it  into 
"  wads  "  and  throw  them  at  the  pupils  in 
different  parts  of  the  room  whenever 
Helen's  back  chanced  to  be  turned. 

"  Johnnie,"  said  she  calmly,  "  you  must 
behave  yourself  as  the  other  children  do, 
or  I  shall  have  to  punish  you  severely." 

He  looked  at  her  and  smiled.  As  soon 
as  she  turned  her  face  in  the  opposite  di- 
rection, he  shook  his  fist  at  her  for  the 
purpose  of  amusing  the  school. 

To  the  surprise  of  the  other  children, 
he  was  dismissed  in  the  afternoon  when 
the  rest  were.  It  was  noticeable,  however, 
that  Helen  stopped  to  see  Johnnie's  par- 
ents on  the  way  home.  Mr.  Sims  was 
absent.  She  remained  but  a  few  minutes 
this  time.  Katharine  stood  waiting  at  the 
gate.  As  Helen  started  away,  Katharine 
heard  her  say :  — 

"  I  am  very  anxious  to  have  your  little 
boy  conform  to  my  requirements  as  the 
other  pupils  are  doing.    He  evidently  has 


84  THE  LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

an  active  mind,  and  if  we  can  direct  it  in 
the  right  channels  he  will  make  fine  prog- 
ress. However,  if  I  were  to  permit  him 
to  continue  in  his  present  course,  it  would 
ruin  him,  and  also  destroy  my  discipline. 
I  shall  be  obliged,  therefore,  to  ask  you  to 
do  one  of  two  things,  —  either  punish  him 
yourself  to-night,  or  turn  him  over  com- 
pletely to  me  to-morrow  to  govern  as  I 
think  best." 

As  the  children  approached  school  next 
morning,  Katharine  heard  Johnnie  telling 
some  of  them  about  the  teacher's  visit 
the  afternoon  before. 

"  You  just  ought  tV  heard  mother  a 
rarin'  on  me  last  night.  She  said  if  I 
didn't  behave,  she  was  a  goin'  to  skin  me 
alive,  but  I  wa'n't  afeard  of  her,  but  of 
course  I  made  out  I  was.  Papa  came  in 
while  she  was  rakin'  me  over,  and  he  was 
about  to  whip  me  on  the  spot.  You  know 
he  might  do  it,  but  mother  got  sorry  for 
me,  and  took  up  for  me,  when  I  com- 


"A    PECULIAR    BOY."  85 

menced  to  cry  and  told  her  the  teacher 
had  been  imposin'  on  me." 

That  day  Johnnie  was  continually  dis- 
orderly. He  repeated  nearly  all  of  his 
misconduct  of  the  previous  days.  He 
thrust  his  foot  out  into  the  aisle,  tripped 
a  pupil  who  was  passing,  and  pretended 
that  it  was  an  accident.  He  stuck  pins 
in  the  boys  in  front  of  him,  and  for  a 
few  minutes  afterward  seemed  studious. 
When  he  had  just  about  finished  a  large 
apple,  Helen  discovered  that  he  was  eat- 
ing again.  As  it  was  now  nearly  recess 
time,  she  told  him  to  remain  in  his  seat. 
However,  when  the  signals  were  given, 
he  did  not  do  so.  Helen  walked  out  on 
the  playground  to  where  he  was,  and 
told  him  to  come  in.  With  a  broad  grin 
at  the  other  boys  he  walked  beside  her 
into  the  school-room. 

"Johnnie,"  said  she  earnestly,  "per- 
haps you  remember  that  I  told  you  that 
you  must  obey  me." 


86  THE   LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

"  Yes'm,"  said  he,  indifferently. 

"  But  it  is  evident  that  you  do  not  in- 
tend to  do  so.  I  regret  very  much  that 
now,  to  keep  my  word  and  to  prevent  you 
from  getting  into  more  trouble,  I  must 
punish  you." 

Whereupon  she  took  him  by  the  hand, 
and  drew  out  from  under  the  paper  on 
the  table  a  switch  which  she  had  in  readi- 
ness. Johnnie  was  taken  completely  by 
surprise,  but  she  did  not  hesitate.  She 
gave  him  the  kind  of  whipping  which  his 
mother  had  so  often  promised  and  had 
never  been  faithful  enough  to  give.  At 
first  he  jumped  and  screamed  as  if  he 
were  literally  being  skinned  alive,  but  by 
the  time  she  was  half  through  with  him 
he  was  quiet  enough. 

When  it  seemed  that  she  had  thoroughly 
conquered  him,  she  said  in  a  pleasant  but 
rather  faltering  tone :  "  Johnnie,  take  your 
seat." 

And  Johnnie  took  it. 


"A   PECULIAR    BOY."  87 

Then  Helen  rang  the  bell  in  the  usual 
way,  the  other  pupils  lined  up  at  the  door 
with  great  promptness,  and  marched  to 
their  places.  Helen  proceeded  with  her 
work  just  as  if  nothing  unusual  had  hap- 
pened. During  the  remainder  of  the  day 
Johnnie  kept  quiet  and  obeyed  every  re- 
quest just  as  the  others  did. 

The  next  day  Johnnie  was  absent,  but 
one  of  the  children  handed  Helen  a  note 
which  she  read  at  her  first  leisure.  It 
was  from  Johnnie's  mother,  his  father, 
who  was  a  traveling  man,  having  left 
home  the  day  before.  The  note  was  very 
lengthy,  and  was  anything  but  compli- 
mentary. She  spoke  of  her  "  poor  little 
boy "  who  was  "  such  a  darling/'  and 
how  it  grieved  her  for  him  to  be  so  mis- 
treated, etc.,  etc. 

That  afternoon  Helen  sent  the  follow- 
ing reply :  — 

"  Dear  Mrs.  Sims  :  —  I  received  your  note 
this  morning.    If  you  desire  to  discuss  any  fur- 


88  THE   LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

ther  the  matter  you  mention,  I  shall  be  pleased 
to  see  you  in  my  room  at  Mrs.  Brown's  at  half 
past  four  o'clock  this  afternoon.  However,  I 
hardly  think  this  necessary,  for  Johnnie  behaved 
so  nicely  all  yesterday  afternoon  that  I  feel  con- 
fident that  he  will  give  me  no  further  trouble. 
Whenever  you  wish  to  entrust  him  entirely  to 
me  again,  I  shall  be  glad  to  have  him  return. 
I  hope  that  this  will  be  to-morrow.  It  would  be 
a  pity  for  one  with  such  an  active  mind  to  miss 
the  advantages  of  school. 

Respectfully, 

Helen  Smith." 

On  the  following  Sunday  Helen  was 
overtaken  on  her  way  to  church  by  John- 
nie's father. 

After  talking  pleasantly  for  a  while 
About  common-place  matters,  he  said :  — 

"Well,  Miss  Helen,  I  shall  see  that 
Johnnie  goes  back  to  school  to-morrow 
morning.  I  want  you  to  do  the  best  you 
can  with  him.  He  is  our  only  child,  and 
has  been  petted  entirely  too  much.  I 
really  don't  see  that  there  was  any  way 
you  could  have  controlled  him  except  as 
you  did,  and  since  I  have  talked  with  his 


"A    PECULIAR    BOY."  g9 

mother,  she  admits  that  you  were  justifia- 
ble in  punishing  him.  We  shall  expect 
you  to  govern  him  hereafter  as  you  think 
best." 

Henceforth  Johnnie  gave  no  more  trou- 
ble than  his  habits  of  selfishness,  disobe- 
dience, and  disrespect  made  inevitable. 
Helen  exercised  due  patience  with  him, 
but  did  not  indulge  him  in  his  whims. 


CHAPTER  XV 

A  FRIDAY  AFTERNOON  DIGRESSION 
ArT   noon   on   the   last   Friday   in   the 
^     month  Helen  said: — 

"  This  afternoon  we  shall  vary  the  ex- 
ercises. You  have  studied  so  diligently 
and  behaved  so  well  that  I  think  you  de- 
serve an  afternoon  for  special  pleasure. 
Suppose  we  use  part  of  the  time  for  re- 
viewing and  part  of  it  for  some  purposes 
which  I  am  not  yet  ready  to  explain  to 
you.  I  suggest  that  as  soon  as  you  have 
eaten  your  lunches  you  have  a  review  of 
the  games  you  have  played  during  the 
month,  and  then  I  will  teach  you  a  new 


one." 


The  noon  hour  was  an  unusually  happy 
one.  In  rapid  succession  they  played  first 
one  game  and  then  another  until  they  had 
exhausted  their  stock.  Then  Helen 
taught  them  one  which  she  had  learned 
the  night  before  from  one  of  her  school 
journals.      They    were    delighted,    both 

(90) 


A   FRIDAY   AFTERNOON    DIGRESSION  91 

because  she  taught  them  the  game  and 
because  she  played  with  them. 

When  they  came  in  from  recess,  their 
cheeks  were  aglow  and  their  eyes  were 
bright.  They  were  as  quiet  as  she  could 
desire  them  to  be,  though  she  did  not  ask 
for  attention  nor  command  them  to  be 
still. 

"  Now  let  us  have  our  review,"  said 
she.  "  Who  can  repeat  the  psalm  I  have 
been  teaching  you  ?  " 

A  dozen  hands  were  raised,  and  one  by 
one  half  a  dozen  recited.  Then  they  all 
recited  it  together,  with  due  regard  for 
the  rhythm. 

"  What  psalm  is  that,  Mary?  " 

"  The  twenty-third." 

"Who  wrote  it?" 

"  King  David." 

And  thus  they  continued.  When  they 
came  to  sing  the  song  that  Helen  gave 
them  the  first  morning  of  school,  they 
were  delighted,  for  it  was  easy,  and  they 


92  THE   LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

had  sung  it  quite  frequently  during  the 
month.  She  tested  them,  and  found  that 
with  but  few  exceptions  they  knew  the 
words  perfectly.  They  sang  it  this  time 
with  unusual  interest,  and  then  sang 
"  Rock  of  Ages  "  again. 

Had  a  visitor  heard  the  singing  on  both 
occasions,  he  would  scarcely  have  recog- 
nized these  as  the  same  voices  that  he 
heard  on  the  day  school  opened.  Then 
some  of  them  sang  as  loud  as  they  possi- 
bly could,  and  with  a  nasal  twang.  Now 
their  voices  were  musical,  because  they 
did  not  strain  them,  and  because  they 
sang  in  their  throats  rather  than  in  their 
mouths  as  formerly. 

After  the  songs,  Helen  had  them  repeat 
the  memory  gems  she  had  given  them, 
and  relate  some  of  the  stories  of  the  great 
men  they  had  been  studying  during  the 
month.  Following  these  exercises  they 
reviewed  briefly  the  most  difficult  subjects 
they  had  had  in  arithmetic,  geography, 


A    FRIDAY   AFTERNOON    DIGRESSION  93 

grammar,  and  history,  and  were  dis- 
missed for  ten  minutes  recess. 

After  recess  she  complimented  them  on 
the  excellence  with  which  they  had  re- 
cited, and  said :  — 

"  Let  me  tell  you  something  which  you 
may  never  have  thought  of  before,  just 
as  I  am  thinking  of  it.  Every  great  per- 
son who  ever  lived  in  the  world  was  once 
a  little  boy  or  a  little  girl  like  you.  Many 
of  them  were  poor.  Some  had  no  oppor- 
tunities for  an  education.  It  may  be  that 
some  of  you,  if  you  will  continue  to  do  as 
you  have  done  since  we  have  been  here, 
can  do  great  things.  But  whether  you 
can  do  great  things  or  not,  you  can  cer- 
tainly become  good  and  useful,  and  the 
way  to  do  this  is  to  be  as  good  and  useful 
as  possible  every  day. 

"  Do  you  understand  what  the  word 
duty  means  ?  " 

Then  she  illustrated  with  various  exam- 


94  THE   UTTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

pies  until  they  appreciated  the  significance 
of  the  term. 

"  Let  me  tell  you  what  a  truly  great 
man  once  wrote  to  his  son.  It  was 
this :  '  The  sublimest  word  in  any  lan- 
guage is  duty/  I  wish  you  to  remember 
that  and  act  upon  it." 

Taking  up  a  small  book  which  lay  on 
the  table,  she  said :  "  Many  hundred 
years  ago  there  lived  in  a  far-away  coun- 
try that  we  call  Greece,  a  child-like  peo- 
ple whose  lives  were  noble  and  whose 
thoughts  were  beautiful.  Listen,  and  I 
will  read  you  a  story  about  one  of  their 
heroes." 

This  was  the  beginning  of  a  series  of 
readings  which  lasted  for  weeks,  and 
which  inspired  the  children  very  much. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THE  TEACHERS'  ASSOCIATION 
fftN  Saturday  following  the  review, 
Helen  attended  a  meeting  of  the 
County  Teachers'  Association  held  in 
the  Seminary  chapel.  She  found  prob- 
ably half  of  the  teachers  of  the  county 
there,  and  practically  all  of  those  who 
had  taken  much  interest  in  the  sum- 
mer Institute.  She  was  delighted  to  meet 
hei  former  teachers  again;  and  the 
others,  with  whom  she  had  become  but 
slightly  acquainted  during  the  Institute, 
now  seemed  like  old  friends.  Socially 
she  enjoyed  the  day  very  much. 

The  lesson  in  English  grammar  dwin- 
dled into  quibbling  over  trivialities,  but 
served  to  give  certain  ones  present  an 
opportunity  for  displaying  their  knowl- 
edge of  particular  text-books. 

The  Superintendent  was  presiding.  For 
several  minutes  he  sat  looking  rather  in- 
tently at  his  open  watch.     He  wore  a  visi- 

7  (95) 


96  THE   LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

ble  frown,  and  now  and  then  glanced  up 
over  his  glasses  disapprovingly  at  those 
who  were  contending  for  the  correctness 
of  certain  views.  Finally  he  rapped  the 
table  with  his  pencil  and  remarked, 

"  Time  is  up." 

Mr.  Blucher  moved  to  have  the  time 
for  the  discussion  extended,  but  the  Su- 
perintendent ruled  the  motion  out  of 
order,  deeming  it  his  duty  to  adhere  to 
the  schedule  for  the  day. 

"  However,"  he  remarked,  "  I  will  state 
as  a  further  explanation  of  my  position, 
that  I  do  not  see  why  any  one  should  de- 
sire a  continuation  of  this  argument,  even 
if  we  had  nothing  else  to  do. 

"  Grammar  is  a  science,  and  should  re- 
ceive due  consideration  as  such  in  the  ad- 
vanced grades.  Historically,  language 
is  ancient  and  grammar  modern.  In  my 
humble  opinion  the  common  schools  would 
do  well  to  follow  the  example  of  the  race 
by  developing  the  ability  to  use  language 


THE;    TEACHERS'    ASSOCIATION  97 

freely  and  pretty  correctly  first;  then  an- 
alysis will  be  rational  and  easy. 

"A  good  deal  of  time  and  temper  might 
be  saved  if  we  would  bear  in  mind  these 
three  points: 

"First,  that  scholars  agree  concerning 
most  matters  of  real  importance  in  gram- 
mar. These  should  be  taught  early  and 
largely  incidentally. 

"  Second,  that  there  is  great  diversity 
of  opinion  and  much  confusion  of  terms 
regarding  some  minor  points.  These 
may  well  be  deferred  until  the  essentials 
are  learned. 

u  Third,  that  when  we  have  learned  a 
reasonable  number  of  the  diverse  opinions 
regarding  unsettled  questions,  we  should 
adopt  whatever  pleases  us,  and  cheerfully 
grant  to  every  other  person  a  similar 
privilege." 

The  lesson  in  arithmetic  was  much 
better.  It  dealt  with  the  importance  of 
making    the    instruction    concrete.     The 


98  THE   LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

instructor  gave  numerous  practical  illus- 
trations, and  had  members  of  the  Asso- 
ciation draw  lines  on  the  blackboard  one 
inch,  one  foot,  and  one  yard  in  length. 
He  had  them  determine  the  height  of  the 
table,  the  width  of  the  room,  etc. 

He  had  before  him  some  standard  meas- 
uring cups,  etc.,  from  the  corner  grocery, 
and  showed  them  the  pint,  the  quart,  and 
the  gallon.  He  also  compared  the  dry 
quart  and  the  liquid  quart.  Following 
his  demonstrations,  he  had  others  meas- 
ure water,  and  weigh  various  things  with 
a  small  set  of  scales  after  they  had  esti- 
mated the  weight.  They  calculated  the 
amount  of  wood  that  could  be  piled  across 
the  back  of  the  school-room  at  various 
heights  and  in  various  lengths.  Likewise 
he  sent  a  committee  out  on  the  campus 
to  measure  and  stake  off  a  square  rod 
and  an  acre.  He  sent  another  committee 
out  with  directions  to  measure  a  furlong- 
down  the  street  and  erect  a  pole  with  a 


THE    TEACHERS'    ASSOCIATION  99 

flag  on  it  at  the  end,  so  that  it  could  be 
seen  from  the  window  of  the  chapel.  He 
referred  them  to  the  mile-posts  along  the 
highway  as  illustrating  the  miles. 

Next  he  drew  from  his  pocket  a  bundle 
of  papers  and  said :  "  I  shall  not  have 
time  to  go  into  details  with  you  in  .regard 
to  these,  but  you  could  get  them  from  sta- 
tioners and  business  men,  and  make  good 
use  of  them  if  you  would  put  yourselves 
to  a  little  trouble.  Here  are  blank  notes, 
receipts,   insurance  policies,  stocks,   etc." 

All  present  were  delighted  with  the 
lesson  except  one  young  man  who  had 
longed  for  an  opportunity  to  explain  why 
we  "  invert  the  terms  of  the  divisor  and 
multiply  "  in  division  of  fractions. 

The  most  enjoyable  feature  of  the 
afternoon's  program  was  the  lecture  by 
Professor  Gordon,  one  of  a  series  on 
"  The  School  Teachers'  Problems."  As 
Professor  Gordon  is  an  old  man  and  has 
had  a  long,  varied,  and  successful  expe- 


100  THE   UTTEE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

rience,  he  is  listened  to  with  great  respect 
by  the  teachers  of  the  county,  many  of 
whom  have  been  taught  by  him.  His 
subject  to-day  was  — 

"  Worry,  Its  Cause  and  Cure." 
"  It  has  often  been  said,"  he  began, 
"  that  worry  kills  more  people  than  work. 
This  is  particularly  true  of  teachers.  It 
is  far  from  me  to  intimate  that  it  is  not 
necessary  for  teachers  to  think  much  about 
their  work,  yet  there  is  a  vast  difference 
between  anxiety  and  interest.  Interest 
stimulates  a  person;  anxiety  renders  him 
weak  and  inefficient.  If  he  is  familiar 
with  what  he  is  going  to  teach,  has  a  defi- 
nite plan,  has  taken  the  necessary  recrea- 
tion to  give  him  vigor  for  the  task,  and 
has  drawn  from  good  literature  and  no- 
ble companionship  the  inspiration  which 
comes  so  well  from  no  other  source,  un- 
less it  be  nature,  how  can  he  be  otherwise 
than  eager  for  an  opportunity  to  perform 
so  useful  a  task  as  teaching  the  young  ?  " 


CHAPTER  XVII 

A  NEW  EXPERIENCE 
JJ'ELEN'S  day  in  town  afforded  other 
pleasures  than  those  derived  from 
the  meeting  of  the  Teachers*  Association. 
She  received  pay  in  the  afternoon  for  her 
first  month's  work.  As  she  walked  along 
the  streets  with  the  money  in  her  purse, 
she  thought  of  her  mother  and  the  chil- 
dren at  home,  and  how  delightful  it  was 
to  be  able  to  help  them. 

"  Surely,"  she  said  to  herself,  "  it  is 
better  to  give  than  to  receive." 

She  bought  a  few  articles  of  clothing 
that  she  really  needed,  and  ordered 
through  the  local  agent  one  good  book 
that  she  had  heard  recommended  as  help- 
ful to  young  teachers,  and  a  dozen  inex- 
pensive pictures  with  which  to  improve 
the  decorations  of  her  school-room.  She 
reserved  enough  money  to  pay  her  board 
for  the  past  month,  and  laid  aside  prac- 
tically all  of  the  rest  for  her  mother. 

(101) 


1G2  THE    UTTEE    SCHOOLMISTRESS 

Helen  reached  home  late  Saturday 
afternoon,  and  remained  until  two  o'clock 
Sunday.  It  would  be  needless  to  describe, 
if  we  could,  the  details  of  Helen's  visit 
home.  The  sunshine  that  she  brought 
to  her  mother  and  the  children,  and  the 
hope  that  she  inspired  in  the  former,  can 
best  be  imagined. 

Uncle  William  and  his  family  arrived 
Sunday  morning,  to  stay  until  Monday 
afternoon.  The  children  begged  Helen 
to  stay  with  them  until  Monday  morning, 
but  she  declined,  saying, 

"  I  should  like  so  much  to  be  here  with 
you,  but  it  is  my  duty  to  return  this  after- 
noon so  that  I  may  surely  be  at  school 
on  time  to-morrow.  I  expect  the  pupils 
to  attend  school  promptly,  and  in  this,  as 
in  all  other  respects,  I  must  set  them  an 
example  which  I  am  willing  for  them  to 
follow." 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

A  RAINY  DAY 

CfYYHEN  school  opened  Monday  morn- 
ing, Helen  was  in  her  place,  and 
most  of  the  children  were  present,  al- 
though it  was  raining.  Nearly  every  one 
of  the  others  arrived  in  a  short  while. 

"  How  glad  I  am,"  she  thought,  "  that 
I  returned  yesterday,  although  I  was 
strongly  tempted  to  remain  until  this 
morning." 

Helen's  first  care  was  to  see  that  the 
children  dried  their  clothing  before  she 
began  the  day's  work.  She  had  a  fire 
kindled  in  the  stove,  and  permitted  them 
to  assemble  around  it  and  talk  quietly 
until  she  was  ready  for  work.  At  the 
close  of  the  devotional  exercises,  which 
differed  considerably  from  those  she  had 
been  accustomed  to  have,  she  taught  the 
children  a  new  song.     Then  she  said :  — 

"  This  is  the  beginning  of  a  new  month. 
You  have  made  me  very  happy  by  coming 

(103) 


104  THE   UTTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

to  school  promptly  on  such  an  unpleasant 
morning.  I  think  by  attending  to  our 
work  closely  we  may  finish  the  lessons 
of  the  day  a  little  earlier  than  usual,  and 
have  some  special  exercises  which  you  will 
probably  enjoy.  I  cannot  tell  you  just 
what  these  will  be  until  we  are  ready  for 
them,  but  remember  that  to  finish  the 
day's  work  in  time  for  them  we  shall  all 
have  to  do  our  best.  If  any  one  misbe- 
haves or  fails  in  a  recitation,  it  will  delay 
us  and  prevent  our  doing  these  pleasant 
things.,, 

When  she  was  ready  for  recess  she 
said :  "  I  will  explain  to  you  that  I  think 
it  is  proper  to  be  quiet  in  the  house,  even 
at  recess.  You  can  talk  to  each  other 
and  have  a  pleasant  time  together,  but 
anything  in  the  nature  of  rudeness  would 
be  unbecoming  in  my  little  men  and 
women." 

This  was  sufficient  for  most  of  them, 
but  two  boys  finally  began  to  race  around 


A    RAINY    DAY  105 

the  room,  one  endeavoring  to  overtake 
the  other  that  he  might  recover  an  apple 
which  had  been  snatched  from  him. 
Helen  turned  to  them,  raised  her  hand, 
and  said  pleasantly :  "  I  am  sorry  you 
have  forgotten,  boys." 

With  comical  looks  of  surprise,  they 
both  stopped  suddenly,  and  gave  no  fur- 
ther trouble.  She  took  care  to  have  the 
recess  no  longer  than  necessary.  Notwith- 
standing the  depressing  influence  of  the 
day,  the  children  behaved  well,  and  the 
regular  work  was  done  an  hour  before 
the  usual  time  for  dismissal. 

"Well,"  said  Helen,  "this  rainy  day 
has  set  me  to  thinking.  I  find  it  disa- 
greeable in  many  ways,  yet  rains  are  de- 
sirable. Suppose  we  talk  for  a  little 
while  about  rain.  Do  you  know  where 
the  rain  comes  from?  " 

"  Out  of  the  clouds,"  said  Charlie. 

"Yes,  and  where  do  the  clouds  come 
from?" 


106  THE   UTTLE    SCHOOLMISTRESS 

This  did  not  meet  such  a  ready  re- 
sponse. After  a  pause,  however,  one 
ventured  to  state  that  "  they  rise."  Then 
step  by  step,  in  a  most  interesting  way, 
Helen  led  them'  to  see  that  clouds  are 
formed  of  vapor  which  comes  from  the 
ocean.  She  gave  them  familiar  illustra- 
tions, such  as  the  evaporation  of  water 
from  wet  clothes  hung  out  to  dry;  the 
"  steam "  seen  about  the  spout  of  the 
tea-kettle  in  winter,  and  their  "  breath  " 
visible  on  a  frosty  morning.  She  led  them 
to  observe  that  it  rains  most  when  the 
wind  comes  from  certain  directions,  and 
also  the  older  ones  to  see  why  this  is  so. 

"  I  knew  a  thoughtless  little  boy  once," 
said  she,  "  who  wished  that  it  would  never 
rain  any  more.  Suppose  his  wish  were 
to  come  true;  what  difference  would  it 
make?" 

Then  for  ten  minutes  the  children  vied 
with  one  another  in  their  efforts  to  see 
who  could  give  the  best  answer.     They 


A    RAINY    DAY  107 

were   interested,   even   excited   at   times. 

"  There  was  also  a  lazy  little  fellow 
once  who  on  a  hot  summer  day  wished 
that  the  sun  would  never  shine  any  more. 
Suppose  his  wish  were  to  come  true ;  what 
difference  would  it  make?  " 

For  some  time  they  discussed  this  ques- 
tion with  the  same  delight  that  they  had 
found  in  the  first. 

Just  then  the  clouds  broke  in  the  west, 
a  flood  of  golden  sunlight  filled  the  room, 
the  children's  faces  became  radiant,  and 
Helen  said :  "  God  is  very  good,  for  He 
gives  us  both  rain  and  sunshine." 

Then  she  dismissed  them. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

"NONSENSE" 
£PHE  school  at  Shady  Grove  under 
Helen  differed  in  many  respects 
from  what  it  had  been  in  previous  years. 
Several  conservative  old  farmers  who 
questioned  Helen's  methods  doubted  the 
advisability  of  teaching  children  words 
before  the  alphabet,  and  one  in  particular 
was  very  positive  that  it  was  "  nonsense  " 
to  attempt  such  a  radical  departure. 
School  had  been  in  session  ten  days  or 
more  before  he  learned  that  his  youngest 
child  had  not  been  started  in  a  spelling- 
book  with  the  A  B  C's  in  it.  He  expressed 
himself  very  freely  at  home,  and  "  sent 
word "  to  Helen  that  she  "  must  teach 
Etta  her  letters."  Helen  received  the 
message  from  one  of  the  children,  but 
gave  no  expression  by  look  or  otherwise 
of  her  determination  to  do  what  she 
thought  was  best. 

Two  or  three  weeks  more  passed  be- 

(108) 


"  NONSENSE."  109 

fore  the  farmer  thought  to  ask  whether 
or  not  Helen  had  been  teaching  Etta  the 
alphabet  as  he  had  directed.  This  time 
he  became  somewhat  angry,  and  threat- 
ened to  go  to  the  school-house  next  morn- 
ing and  tell  her  that  it  "  had  to  be  done." 
But  again  he  became  absorbed  in  his 
business,  and  did  not  think  of  the  mat- 
ter until  one  rainy  day  in  the  sixth  week 
of  the  session,  as  he  carried  the  children 
to  school. 

Upon  his  arrival  he  hitched  his  horse 
under  a  tree,  removed  his  saddle,  and 
went  into  the  school-house  for  the  purpose 
of  justifying  his  belief  that  the  new 
methods  were  nonsensical. 

Helen  did  not  talk  with  him  very  much, 
for  she  was  busy;  but  when  she  did,  her 
manner  was  so  pleasant  and  her  remarks 
so  well  chosen  that  he  soon  lost  sight  of 
his  original  purpose,  and  became  deeply 
interested.  However,  when  it  came 
Etta's  time  to  recite,  the  old  spirit  rose 


110  THE   UTTLE    SCHOOLMISTRESS 

within  him  again  to  such  an  extent  that 
he  said :  — 

"  Miss  Helen,  I  think  you  have  been 
neglecting  your  duty  toward  Etta.  I  sent 
you  word  nearly  a  month  ago  to  teach 
her  her  letters,  and  from  what  I  can  learn, 
you  paid  no  attention  to  my  request." 

u  Yes,  Mr.  Smartt,  I  did  receive  a 
message  from  you,  and  I  have  thought  of 
it  frequently.  I  had  begun  to  teach  your 
little  girl  by  another  method,  which 
seemed  to  be  giving  good  results.  I 
thought  it  best  to  continue  with  that  until 
I  had  given  it  a  fair  trial.  Since  you  are 
here,  I  will  explain  my  plan  to  you,  and  let 
you  see  how  it  is  succeeding.  These  new 
methods  are  not  always  best,  but  when 
they  are  well  recommended  and  seem 
reasonable,  I  feel  that  it  is  safe  to  give 
them  a  trial,  for  at  any  time  we  may  re- 
turn to  the  old  way." 

Helen  sat  down  near  Mr.  Smartt,  and 
called  the  little  girl    to    her    side.      She 


"  NONSENSE."  HI 

opened  a  primer,  and  the  child  read  the 
first  page  through  without  missing  a  word 
or  failing  to  give  the  proper  expression 
to  a  sentence.  Mr.  Smartt  leaned  for- 
ward, his  eyes  grew  brighter,  and  his  face 
wore  a  look  of  astonishment.  Helen 
turned  over  to  the  second  page,  the  child 
read  that  through  as  she  had  the  first. 

Mr.  Smartt  stepped  to  the  stove,  opened 
the  door,  and  threw  his  quid  of  tobacco 
into  it,  ran  his  fingers  through  his  shaggy 
hair,  and  sat  down  again. 

Etta  read  the  third  page  with  no  special 
difficulty.  Then  Helen  pointed  with  her 
pencil  to  the  various  letters.  She  recog- 
nized every  one  of  them. 

"  Etta,  what  does  b-o-x  spell  ?  "  asked 
Helen,  and  the  child  answered,  "  Box," 
and  so  on  with  a  dozen  familiar  words. 

"  Now,  Etta,  let's  show  your  papa  how 
the  crayon  can  say  things." 

She  stepped  to  the  blackboard,  and 
wrote   a   sentence   consisting   of   a    few 

8 


112  THE   UTTEE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

words  taken  from  what  the  child  had 
been  reading.     Etta  watched  her  intently. 

"  Now  what  did  it  say?  " 

The  little  girl  read  it  correctly  and  in 
an  even  tone.  Other  sentences  written 
by  Helen  were  also  read  with  ease. 

"  Etta,  would  n't  you  like  to  show  your 
papa  how  you  can  make  the  crayon  say 
things?" 

The  child  looked  pleased,  came  forward, 
and  as  the  teacher  dictated,  she  wrote 
first  single  words  and  then  short  sen- 
tences, in  a  legible  hand. 

"  Can't  you  make  some  figures  for 
your  papa  ?  " 

Little  Etta  began  with  i  and  made  them 
all,  getting  the  3  backwards  and  the  6 
where  the  9  should  have  been,  but  a  few 
hints  from  Helen  enabled  her  to  correct 
these. 

"  That  will  do,  Etta,  you  may  go  to 
your  seat  now." 

As  she  started  to  do  so,  the  old  farmer 


"  NONSENSE."  113 

caught  her  in  his  arms,  drew  her  up  into 
his  lap,  and  squeezed  her  vigorously  in 
consequence  of  his  pride  and  astonish- 
ment. Then  he  put  her  down  and  rose 
to  go. 

"Well,  Miss  Helen,  I'll  give  it  up. 
Maybe  I  know  more  about  farmin'  than 
you  do,  but  you  can  beat  me  teachin'  chil- 
dren, and  from  now  on  I  don't  expect  to 
meddle  with  you  any  more/' 

As  the  farmer  put  on  his  hat,  he  shook 
hands  with  Helen  and  said :  "  If  you  will 
let  me  know  some  time  when  you  can  come 
home  with  Etta  and  spend  the  night,  I 
will  bring  old  Mollie  for  you  to  ride,  and 
she's  a  fine  saddle  animal." 


CHAPTER  XX 

THE  SUPERINTENDENT'S  VISIT 
/jNNE  day  shortly  after  noon  in  the  lat- 
ter part  of  September  the  county  Su- 
perintendent rode  down  the  hill  toward 
the  Shady  Grove  school-house.  It  was 
Thursday.  He  had  left  home  early  Mon- 
day morning,  and  had  been  through  sev- 
eral districts.  In  nearly  every  place  he 
found  the  schools  in  disorder,  the  attend- 
ance small,  or  the  teachers  having  con- 
troversies with  the  patrons,  who  were  ever 
ready  to  make  their  dissatisfaction  known 
to  him.  Feeling  it  his  duty  to  uphold  the 
authority  of  the  teacher,  and  realizing, 
too,  that  most  of  the  difficulties  which  he 
had  heard  of  might  have  been  avoided  had 
the  teacher  been  more  tactful,  he  was 
fairly  sick  at  heart.  He  approached  this 
school-house  with  an  especial  sense  of 
dread.  He  had  been  in  office  several 
years,  and  had  come  to  regard  this  as  a 
very  troublesome  community.     It  will  be 

(114) 


THE    SUPERINTENDENT'S    VISIT  115 

remembered  that  he  was  able  to  secure 
this  position  for  Helen  only  because  the 
"  talent "  employed  for  personal  reasons 
in  former  years  had  failed  invariably. 

He  drew  very  near  the  school-house 
before  he  heard  any  one  within,  but  he 
was  delighted  with  the  neatness  of  the 
premises.  As  he  entered  the  door,  he 
looked  in  on  a  full  school  intent  upon  its 
work.  He  glanced  rapidly  around  the 
room,  observing  the  pictures  and  rustic 
decorations  on  the  walls,  then  at  the 
teacher,  who  was  at  the  blackboard,  and 
did  not  see  him  enter.  For  a  moment  he 
gazed  steadfastly  at  the  bunch  of  chrys- 
anthemums on  the  table.  Ere  he  was 
aware  his  whole  burden  had  rolled  away. 
He  sat  down  quietly  near  the  door,  and  re- 
mained at  least  ten  minutes  before  he  was 
discovered  by  Helen.  He  had  not  intended 
to  be  a  secret  visitor,  but  was  such  simply 
because  Helen  was  absorbed  in  her  duties, 


116  the:  little  schoolmistress 

and  all  the  pupils  remained  attentive  to 
theirs. 

When  Helen,  glancing  over  the  room, 
caught  sight  of  the  Superintendent,  she 
felt  greatly  embarrassed,  and  blushed  in- 
tensely, but  in  the  calmest  sort  of  way 
walked  down  to  where  he  was,  shook 
hands  with  him  cordially;  expressing  her 
delight  at  having  him  with  them,  and  in- 
vited him  to  take  a  seat  on  the  platform. 
Then  she  proceeded  with  her  work,  en- 
deavoring to  do  everything  just  as  she 
would  have  done  if  no  visitor  had  been 
present. 

When,  by-and-by,  the  Superintendent 
arose  to  speak  to  the  children,  they  sat 
erect,  with  their  books  closed,  and  gave 
him  respectful  attention.  He  compli- 
mented them  very  highly,  and  congratu- 
lated them  on  the  neatness  of  the  house 
and  grounds,  which  he  said  were  just 
what  he  would  like  to  find  everywhere, 
and  yet  what  he  had  not  found  quite  so 


THI5    SUPERINTENDENT'S    VISIT  U7 

perfect  anywhere  else  in  the  county.  He 
remarked  on  the  intense  interest  which 
enabled  him  to  come  in  unobserved,  and 
was  especially  gratified,  he  said,  to  see 
so  many  present  at  a  time  when  most 
schools  had  not  more  than  half  of  their 
enrollment  in  attendance. 

"  I  have  some  personal  reasons  for 
being  glad  that  this  school  is  doing  so 
well,"  said  the  Superintendent,  "  since 
Miss  Helen  became  your  teacher  by  reason 
of  my  recommendation. " 

For  some  minutes  he  spoke  the  charac- 
teristic speech  of  the  county  Superinten- 
dent, interspersed  with  jokes  and  historic 
anecdotes.  Then  he  suddenly  stepped 
forward  a  little,  straightened  up,  and 
broke  forth  in  a  sort  of  peroration: — 

"  He  who  would  excel  in  life,  should 
strive  to  excel  in  school.  This  is  the  place 
to  form  the  habit  of  excelling.  If  you 
excel  in  little  things  here,  you  may  be  able 
to  excel  in  great  things  by  and  by. 


118  THE   LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

"  Speaking  of  excelling  reminds  me  of 
prizes.  Who  expects  to  get  the  prizes  at 
the  close  of  school  ?    Raise  your  hands !  " 

Not  a  hand  was  raised.  Several  looked 
at  the  teacher. 

"  Raise  your  hands,  don't  be  timid  about 
it.  Who  would  like  to  get  the  prizes  at 
the  close  of  school  ?  " 

Again  they  looked  at  one  another  and 
the  teacher,  but  no  hands  were  raised. 

"  Don't  any  of  you  expect  to  get  the 
prizes  at  the  close  of  school  ?  "  said  the 
Superintendent.     "  Surely  you  do." 

"  I  can  tell  you,"  said  Charlie,  raising 
his  hand. 

"All  right,  my  little  man." 

"All  of  us,"  said  Charlie. 

"  Miss  Helen,"  he  said,  suspecting  the 
boy's  meaning,  "  I  think  I  will  get  you 
to  explain  to  me  when  school  is  out  how 
they  think  it  possible  for  all  of  them  to  get 
prizes." 

The  Superintendent  had  an  old  friend 


THE    SUPERINTENDENT'S    VISIT  119 

in  the  neighborhood  with  whom  he  always 
spent  the  night  when  visiting  Shady 
Grove  school.  As  he  lived  on  the  way  to 
Esquire  Brown's,  the  Superintendent  let 
one  of  the  boys  ride  his  horse  and  he 
walked  with  Helen.  Helen  explained  to 
him  that  the  children  had  begged  her  to 
offer  prizes  at  the  beginning  of  the  term, 
and  that  the  older  people  all  said  it  had 
been  "customary,"  but  that  she  inferred 
from  information  received  in  the  neigh- 
borhood that  much  local  discord  had 
grown  out  of  the  prize  contests. 

"  The  best  teacher  I  ever  had,"  she 
said,  referring  to  Miss  Emily  Wise,  "  of- 
fered no  prizes,  and  the  best  books  that  I 
have  read  on  teaching  agree  that  the  giv- 
ing of  prizes  in  school  is  both  harmful 
and  unnecessary.  To  satisfy  the  children, 
I  explained  to  them  that  there  are  prizes 
that  all  can  get,  such  as  scholarship,  pro- 
motion, a  consciousness  of  dutv  done,  etc., 


120  THE   LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

and  it  was  to  these  that  the  boy  referred 
when  he  answered  you  as  he  did." 

"  I  am  sure  you  are  right,"  said  the 
Superintendent.  "  How  much  better  it 
would  be  if  all  teachers  would  follow  your 
example  in  this  matter  of  prizes,"  he  re- 
marked as  they  parted. 

The  Superintendent  and  his  old  friend 
talked  together  until  late  that  night,  and 
frequent  references  were  made  to  the  local 
school.  His  friend  told  him  of  Helen's 
work  in  cleaning  up  the  school-house  be- 
fore the  session  opened,  of  her  new  meth- 
ods, of  the  criticisms  that  had  been  made, 
and  how  she  had  "  straightened  out " 
Johnnie  Sims,  how  old  Mr.  Smartt  had 
been  changed  from  a  persistent  faultfinder 
to  an  ardent  friend  of  the  new  teacher  by 
a  visit  to  the  school,  etc.,  etc. 

The  next  morning  the  Superintendent 
changed  his  course  so  as  to  spend  another 
hour  at  the  school.  He  again  took  it  by 
surprise,  but  was  as  well  pleased  as  before. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

MISS  SCRUGGS"  SCHOOL 
£P  HE  conscientious  county  superintend- 
ent is  a  man  who  deserves  sympathy 
and  admiration.  He  feels  an  intense  in- 
terest in  his  work,  bears  a  burden  of  re- 
sponsibility, and  has  much  care.  He 
is  expected  to  gather  statistics;  to  hold 
annually  a  summer  institute,  and  monthly 
teachers'  meetings;  to  examine  and  li- 
cense teachers;  to  judge  their  moral 
and  professional  fitness,  as  well  as  their 
literary  qualifications;  to  reconcile  all 
differences  —  and  these  are  many ;  to  visit 
all  the  schools  of  the  county,  and  inspire 
the  youth  of  each  with  interest  enough  to 
last  until  the  end  of  the  term;  to  arouse 
in  the  people  of  the  whole  county  an  ambi- 
tion for  the  improvement  of  their  school 
system  —  all  these  things  and  more  he  en- 
deavors to  do,  with  only  a  shadow  of  au- 
thority and  a  mere  pittance  of  pay.  It  is 
little  wonder,  then,  that  this  worthy  Su- 

(121) 


122  THE   UTTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

perintendent  appreciated  Helen's  work, 
nor  is  it  surprising  that  he  rejoiced  when 
he  saw  that  she,  though  a  young  teacher, 
was  practically  realizing  his  ideals  of 
what  a  school  should  be. 

A  few  days  after  the  Superintendent's 
visit  to  Shady  Grove,  he  came  into 
Helen's  home  neighborhood  where  Miss 
Scruggs  was  teaching.  As  he  passed  va- 
rious farm  houses,  he  noticed  children  of 
school  age  about  home,  and  although  the 
sun  was  high  and  the  weather  fine,  he 
saw  very  few  preparing  for  school. 

He  met  a  patron  as  he  rode  along,  from 
whom  he  learned  that  there  was  much  dis- 
satisfaction with  the  teacher,  that  there 
was  no  interest  in  the  school,  and  that  the 
attendance  had  fallen  off  greatly.  Before 
reaching  the  school-house  he  came  upon 
Mr.  Jones,  the  director  who  had  employed 
Miss  Scruggs.  Just  as  Jones  was  enter- 
ing the  gate  of  his  corn  field,  he  recog- 
nized the  Superintendent.     He  seemed  in 


MISS    SCRUGGS*    SCHOOL  123 

a  hurry,  but  the  Superintendent  rode  up 
to  the  gate,  and  began  to  talk  pleasantly 
of  the  weather,  his  corn  crop,  etc. 

The  Superintendent  noticed  that  he  had 
two  of  his  small  boys  with  him  to  assist 
in  gathering  corn. 

"And  how's  your  school  ?  "  he  inquired. 
"  Fm  going  down  there  to  visit  it.  I  shall 
find  it  all  right,  I  hope." 

"  Wall,  this  is  a  mighty  hard  neighbor- 
hood to  please.  Miss  Scruggs  is  doin'  all 
she  possibly  can  under  the  circumstances, 
but  the  circumstances  ain't  very  favor- 
able." 

"  What  seems  to  be  the  particular 
trouble?" 

"  Oh,  nothing  in  particular,  only  the 
people  don't  send  to  school  regular,  and 
are  always  grumblin'  about  somethin'. 
They  don't  seem  to  care  whether  their 
children  ever  have  any  education  or  not." 

"And  don't  these  boys  like  to  go  ?  " 
asked  the  Superintendent  ? 


124  THE   LITTLE    SCHOOLMISTRESS 

"  Oh,  yes,  but  I  have  to  have  them  help 
me  gether  the  corn  an'  sow  the  wheat  an' 
make  the  sorghum.  They  won't  miss 
much  in  what  little  time  that  '11  take." 

The  Superintendent  rode  on,  and 
reached  the  school-house  half  an  hour  af- 
ter the  usual  time  for  opening  a  country 
school,  and  found  three  or  four  girls 
romping  inside,  while  about  half  a  dozen 
small  boys  on  the  outside  were  teas- 
ing a  little  fellow  who  stood  with  his  back 
against  the  house,  crying.  Miss  Scruggs 
arrived  some  twenty  minutes  later,  and  a 
few  other  children  with  her.  She  seemed 
much  embarrassed  when  she  discovered 
that  the  Superintendent  was  present. 
After  a  shy  and  awkward  greeting,  she 
rang  the  bell.  The  boys  on  the  play- 
ground began  to  bleat  like  sheep,  and 
came  in  like  horses.  For  several  minutes 
there  was  confusion.  They  changed  their 
seats,  whispered,  dropped  their  books, 
and  giggled.     When  the  room  finally  be- 


MISS    SCRUGGS'    SCHOOL  125 

came  reasonably  quiet,  she  began  her 
day's  work,  but  there  was  no  devotional 
exercise,  no  singing,  no  stories,  no  mis- 
cellaneous work  to  interest  and  instruct 
the  children;  no  bunch  of  fresh  flowers 
for  them  to  look  at.  In  fact,  there  was 
no  attempt  at  decoration  in  the  school- 
room unless  the  chalked  names  and 
caricatures  on  the  walls,  windows,  and 
stove-pipe  were  intended  to  be  decorative. 
Waste  paper  was  scattered  in  profusion 
about  the  premises,  and  on  the  north  side 
of  the  house,  where  there  was  a  low  place, 
sheltered  from  the  wind,  it  had  accumu- 
lated sufficiently  to  cover  the  ground. 

"  Is  the  advanced  arithmetic  class  ready 
to  recite  ?  "  asked  Miss  Scruggs,  but  the 
response  was  entirely  negative. 

"  Then  is  the  fourth  reader  class 
ready?" 

Some  of  them  begged  for  more  time. 

One  after  another  she  called  for  half  a 
dozen    classes  without  finding  one  ready 


126  THE   LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

for  recitation.  Failing  with  all  of  these, 
she  beckoned  one  of  the  beginners  to  her 
side.  She  went  over  the  alphabet  with 
him,  pointing  to  each  letter  and  calling 
it  by  name  until  the  letter  w  was  reached, 
then  she  scolded  him  for  having  worn  the 
others  out  of  his  book,  and  said,  "  Go  to 
your  seat,  you  little  rat,  and  don't  forget 
that  thumb  paper  to-morrow." 

She  took  other  small  children  one  by 
one  to  spell  the  "  a  -  b  ab's."  There  was 
an  entire  absence  of  writing  in  connection 
with  the  recitations  of  the  young  pupils. 

Those  who  read,  whether  in  the  first  or 
the  fifth  grade,  drawled  out  their  words 
laboriously,  and  showed  no  signs  of  com- 
prehending the  meaning.  Miss  Scruggs 
made  no  introductory  talks,  no  reference 
to  the  author  of  the  lesson,  no  explana- 
tions, and  no  appeals  to  the  imagination. 
Corrections  were  confined  entirely  to  the 
pronunciation  of  words. 

Finally  Miss    Scruggs    called  the  ad- 


MISS    SCRUGGS'    SCHOOL  127 

vanced  arithmetic  class  again.  There 
were  only  three  in  it,  Mary  Ann  Jones 
being  one  of  them.  Miss  Scruggs  asked 
the  Superintendent  to  teach  it,  but  he  de- 
clined politely.  She  insisted,  but  he  re- 
mained firm.  Though  Mary  Ann  Jones's 
work  was  grossly  incorrect,  it  was  al- 
lowed to  pass. 

Next  she  implored  him  to  teach  the 
grammar  class. 

"  You  must  excuse  me  from  teaching/' 
said  he,  "  I  prefer  to  leave  you  free  to  do 
just  as  you  would  at  any  other  time. 

"  I  think  a  superintendent  should  be 
very  careful  in  this  matter.  By  taking  the 
teacher's  place,  he  deprives  her  of  the 
right  to  exhibit  the  practical  work  of  her 
school  in  her  own  way,  and  displays  his 
own  conceit.  Furthermore,  by  attempt- 
ing to  instruct  her  in  methods  in  her  own 
school  he  is  liable  to  lessen  the  respect  of 
her  pupils  for  her,  and  thus  do  more  harm 

9 


128  THE   UTTLE)   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

than  good.  For  these  and  other  reasons 
I  beg  that  you  excuse  me." 

Miss  Scruggs  then  undertook  the  task 
herself,  devoting  her  entire  attention  to 
the  rules  and  definitions  which,  of  course, 
a  few  recited  fairly  well,  but  most  of  the 
class  evidently  had  no  true  conception 
of  the  meaning.  She  in  the  mean  time 
kept  close  watch  on  the  book. 

When  the  dictionary  class  was  called, 
she  felt  relieved,  and  got  through  with 
that  to  her  own  satisfaction.  The  trap- 
ping was  livelier  than  anything  else  had 
been,  and  Mary  Ann  Jones  got  the  head- 
mark.  As  Miss  Scruggs  pronounced  the 
words  in  their  alphabetical  order  for  the 
children  to  spell, —  words  mainly  without 
interest  or  meaning  to  the  children, — 
the  Superintendent  thought: — 

"Ah  me!  when  will  this  nonsense  end? 
Wouldn't  it  be  just  as  wise  to  take  the 
book  of  Genesis,  or  better  the  Constitution 


MISS    SCRUGGS'    SCHOOL  129 

of  the  United  States,  for  a  text  in  spell- 
ing?" 

After  the  morning  recess  things  went 
on  very  much  as  they  had  before  until 
noon,  except  that  the  children  grew  more 
troublesome  as  the  day  advanced,  and 
Miss  Scruggs  increased  her  efforts  to  con- 
trol them.     Finally  she  called  out,  — 

"Playtime!" 

The  children  sprang  from  their  seats 
with  a  yell  like  Comanches,  climbed  over 
the  benches  in  front  of  them,  and  rushed 
out  upon  the  playground. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

MISS  SCRUGGS'  CONFESSION 

iflURING  the  noon  recess  the  county 
^  Superintendent  had  a  long  talk  with 
Miss  Scruggs.  She  declared  that  she 
would  never  teach  again  "  if  she  could 
help  it,"  that  this  was  the  worst  commu- 
nity any  one  ever  had  to  contend  with, 
that  the  children  had  had  no  "  raising/' 
that  she  just  could  not  control  them,  that 
she  had  tried  every  means  of  punishment 
that  she  had  ever  seen  or  heard  of,  etc. 

The  recess  to-day  was  long,  but  as  this 
was  no  unusual  occurrence,  the  children 
played  boisterously  some  distance  away, 
ignorant  of  the  tears  shed  by  Miss 
Scruggs  as  she  related  her  trials,  or  in- 
different to  them. 

The  Superintendent  in  the  course  of  his 
long  conversation  used  the  Socratic  art 
so  skilfully  that  he  received  from  this 
young  teacher's  own  lips  a  frank  and  full 
confession  of  her  pedagogical  sins.    They 

(130) 


MISS    SCRUGGS'    CONFESSION  131 

were  numerous,  both  of  omission  and  of 
commission. 

Briefly,  she  had  not  qualified  herself  for 
teaching.  She  herself  had  never  been  to 
school  except  in  her  own  neighborhood, 
had  never  attended  an  Institute  or  teach- 
ers' meeting,  "  except  on  the  last  two 
days  to  take  the  examination,"  had  never 
read  a  book  on  teaching  nor  seen  anything 
in  the  way  of  educational  periodicals  save 
a  few  sample  copies  that  had  come  to 
her  recently  (and  she  did  not  remember 
the  names  of  these  nor  where  they  were 
published).  She  had  not  made  prepara- 
tions in  advance  for  her  daily  work,  and 
had  never  thought  of  decorating  the 
school-room,  telling  the  children  a  story, 
or  singing  a  song  with  them.  She  had 
never  read  them  a  Scripture  lesson,  offered 
a  prayer,  nor  taught  them  a  line  as  a  mem- 
ory gem.  She  had  given  them  no  biogra- 
phy or  lessons  from  nature.  She  "  had 
not  had  time  for  such  things." 


132  the  little  schoolmistress 

She  had  not  visited  the  parents  of  those 
who  were  troublesome,  but  had  "  sent 
word  "  to  several  of  them  by  the  children. 
This  "  did  no  good."  She  never  came  to 
school  early,  because  she  thought  it  use- 
less to  be  there  before  the  children  were, 
and  they  were  nearly  always  late.  Her 
only  explanation  of  the  methods  of  in- 
struction employed,  regarding  which  the 
Superintendent  made  many  inquiries, 
could  be  stated  substantially  in  the  oft- 
repeated  sentence :  iX  I  was  taught  that 
way." 

The  Superintendent  v*ery  skilfully  led 
her  to  realize  that  her  failure  to  interest 
the  children,  to  control  them,  and  to  secure 
parental  co-operation,  was  not  entirely 
due  to  neighborhood  peculiarities. 

"  Miss  Scruggs,"  he  said  sympathet- 
ically, "  the  profession  of  teaching  is 
somewhat  like  a  bank.  You  can  draw  out 
of  it  only  in  proportion  to  what  you  have 
put  into  it.      I  infer  from  our  conversa- 


MISS    SCRUGGS'    CONFESSION  133 

tion  that  you  have  not  put  your  heart, 
your  time,  nor  your  money  into  the  pro- 
fession. Had  you  done  so,  you  would 
now  probably  be  happy  and  your  school 
prosperous." 

He  then  told  her  of  "  a  certain  school  " 
that  he  had  visited  a  few  days  before  in 
another  neighborhood. 

"While  I  expected  the  teacher  there 
to  do  well,"  he  said,  "  her  success  aston- 
ishes and  delights  me.  I  found  the  at- 
tendance excellent,  the  interest  intense, 
and  the  people  enthusiastic  (although  that 
teacher  had  opposition  for  a  while) ;  and 
the  school-room  itself  was  so  clean  and  so 
beautifully  decorated  that  I  went  back  the 
morning  after  my  regular  visit  to  see  it 
again.  If  I  should  rename  the  school- 
houses  I  would  call  that  one,  for  the  re- 
mainder of  this  year,  at  least,  the  Sweet 
Home  School-house. 

"  You  would  be  surprised  to  learn  that 
the  young  lady  who  is  doing  this  excep- 


134  THE    UTTLE    SCHOOLMISTRESS 

tional  work  never  taught  a  day  before  her 
present  term  began,  and  had  no  thought 
of  teaching  until  last  spring.  Since  then 
she  has  been  making  diligent  efforts  to 
prepare  herself.  She  heard  every  word 
of  instruction  given  at  the  Institute  last 
summer.  Last  Saturday  she  was  at  the 
teachers'  meeting  quite  a  while  before 
the  exercises  began.  She  has  read  several 
good  books  on  teaching,  and  takes  two  or 
three  school  journals.  I  could  see  very 
clearly  that  she  had  listened  and  read  for 
practical  ends.  I  feel  confident,  Miss 
Scruggs,  that  if  you  will  make  similar 
preparation  for  your  next  school,  you  will 
be  much  more  successful.  Doubtless  I 
can  help  you." 

"  Oh,  thank  you,"  said  Miss  Scruggs, 
new  hope  lighting  up  her  countenance. 

"Wouldn't  you  like  to  begin,  now?" 
continued  the  Superintendent.  "  If  so,  I 
will  send  you  in  a  few  days  a  little  book, 
'  Mistakes  in  Teaching/  by  J.  L.  Hughes, 


MISS    SCRUGGS'    CONFESSION 


135 


which  was  very  helpful  to  me.  I  have 
caused  many  teachers  to  read  it,  and  they 
have  often  thanked  me  for  doing  so.  One 
of  my  assistants,  to  whom  I  lent  the  book 
some  years  ago,  returned  it  with  a  hearty 
laugh,  saying  as  she  handed  it  to  me,  '  I 
like  it,  but  I  tell  you  it  gave  me  fits.' ' 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

THE  DISTRICT  CONFERENCE 

CFHE  fourth  Saturday  and  Sunday  in 
September  were  days  long  to  be 
remembered  in  the  Shady  Grove  neigh- 
borhood. For  weeks  the  people  had  been 
preparing  to  entertain  the  delegates  to 
the  district  conference  of  the  Southern 
Methodist  Church.  The  Bishop  who  was 
to  preside  was  a  man  once  very  prominent 
as  an  educator.  There  was  also  expected 
such  a  gathering  of  ministers  and  lay- 
men as  seldom  assembles  in  a  rural  com- 
munity. 

The  school  caught  the  spirit  of  hospi- 
tality, after  some  indirect  suggestions 
from  Helen,  and  it  was  agreed  that  they 
should  decorate  the  school-room  for  the 
occasion.  The  children  were  consulted  as 
to  means  and  plans.  They  offered  their 
own  suggestions  freely,  and  rendered  all 
service  necessary  with  diligence.  Golden- 
rod  and  asters  were  gathered  in  abun- 

(136) 


THE    DISTRICT    CONFERENCE  137 

dance.  Pictures  were  lent  to  the  school  by 
the  children;  and  so  were  a  table  cover, 
pitcher,  and  glass.  When  the  school  was 
dismissed  Friday  afternoon,  the  house  was 
scrupulously  clean  and  appropriately  dec- 
orated, although  not  a  single  recitation 
had  been  omitted  nor  a  penny  spent  for 
material. 

The  weather  was  exceptionally  fine  dur- 
ing the  conference,  and  the  attendance  was 
large.  The  Bishop  preached  two  sermons 
and  the  Elder  of  the  district  and  the  vis- 
iting ministers  several  others.  They  al- 
most invariably  complimented  the  neigh- 
borhood for  taking  such  a  deep  interest  in 
education,  and  referred  more  than  once 
to  the  decorations  which  so  "  few  school- 
houses  have,  and  yet  which  all  might  have 
practically  without  money  and  without 
price." 

As  the  Brown  home  where  Helen 
boarded  was  one  of  the  most  comfortable 
in  the  neighborhood  and  known  for  its 


138  THE   UTTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

hospitality,  the  Elder,  the  Bishop,  and 
Professor  Gordon  were  entertained  there. 

On  Saturday  afternoon,  when  dinner 
was  over,  quite  a  number  of  people  sat  on 
the  broad  veranda  looking  out  over  the 
rich  valley.  The  Bishop,  the  Elder,  and 
the  Professor  were  engaged  for  an  hour 
or  more  in  conversation,  during  which 
Helen,  as  well  as  several  others,  listened 
attentively,  but  said  little.  The  conversa- 
tion naturally  drifted  from  the  meeting  to 
the  school-house  with  its  decorations,  and 
from  that  to  reminiscences  of  their  own 
school  life.  Professor  Gordon  contrasted 
the  methods  of  organization,  etc.,  used  in 
his  boyhood  days  with  those  in  the  best 
schools  at  present. 

"  The  first  schools  that  I  attended  were 
poorly  organized,"  said  he.  "  The  chil- 
dren were  not  properly  classified.  As  a 
rule,  they  were  allowed  to  study  nearly 
any  branch  to  which  they  took  a  fancy. 
The  lazy  ones  omitted  those  which  would 


the  district   CONFERENCE  139 

have  given  them  mental  discipline,  the 
ambitious  ones  undertook  things  for  which 
they  were  not  prepared,  and  even  the  most 
conscientious  suffered  for  lack  of  guid- 
ance. 

"  In  my  opinion,"  he  continued,  "  a 
child  is  no  better  qualified  to  select  its  own 
course  and  determine  its  own  grading 
than  one  of  us  would  be  to  travel  through 
India  or  China  without  the  help  of  guide- 
posts  or  directions  from  those  who  have 
traveled  the  road  before." 

"  I  was  impressed  to-day,"  said  the  El- 
der, "  not  only  with  the  decorations  and 
the  neatness  of  the  school-house,  but  also 
with  the  program.  Did  you  notice  that 
Miss  Helen,"  to  whom  he  gave  a  friendly 
glance,  "  has  arranged  not  only  the  time 
for  each  recitation,  but  special  times  in 
which  the  children  are  required  to  prepare 
particular  lessons?  I  think  that  if  my 
teachers  had  adopted  this  plan,  there 
would  have  been  less  idleness  and  conse- 


140  THE   LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

quently  less  disorder,  and  more  good  ac- 
complished." 

"Another  feature  of  the  best  schools  of 
to-day,"  said  the  Bishop,  "  is  that  their 
influence  is  so  much  more  refining  than 
that  of  ours  used  to  be.  I  never  saw  a  pic- 
ture on  the  wall  of  a  school-house  until 
I  was  grown,  and  if  a  little  fellow  under- 
took to  while  away  a  tedious  hour  by 
drawing  one  upon  his  slate,  he  did  so  with 
as  much  secrecy  as  possible,  for  '  drawing 
pictures '  was  a  serious  offense  in  our 
times.  It  is  strange  to  me  that  our  teach- 
ers did  not  see  that  drawing  is  just  as 
much  a  method  of  expression  as  writing, 
and  also  that  drawing  from  objects  cul- 
tivates the  powers  of  observation  as  noth- 
ing else  does.  Furthermore,  it  is  a 
practical  study.  The  schools  in  the  cities 
now  have  regular  courses  in  drawing, 
likewise  many  of  those  in  the  country  ac- 
complish fairly  good  results  by  the  use  of 


the:  district  conference  141 

books    prepared  especially  for  unskilled 
teachers. 

"  Literature  was  never  thought  of  in 
the  common  schools  of  those  days.  Stories 
not  found  in  the  text-books  on  history  or 
reading  would  have  been  considered  heter- 
odox. When  we  read  a  poem  or  an  ex- 
tract in  one  of  our  readers,  and  to  be  sure 
the  old  readers  had  many  excellent  quali- 
ties, there  was  no  effort  made  to  familiar- 
ize the  pupil  with  the  time  and  place,  nor 
the  circumstances  under  which  it  was 
written  nor  with  the  life  and  character 
of  the  author.  I  was  so  pleased  to  see 
the  pictures  of  so  many  distinguished  men 
on  the  wall  of  the  school-room  in  this 
neighborhood,  and  I  was  still  more  pleased 
to  learn  that  the  children  are  being  made 
familiar  with  their  lives.  I  am  delighted 
also  to  hear  that  the  children,  are  learning 
many  games,  patriotic  songs,  current  his- 
tory, and  gems  of  poetry.  A  little  time 
devoted    to    these    miscellaneous     things 


142  the  little  schoolmistress 

daily,  Miss  Helen,  is  wisely  spent,  and  I 
commend  you  for  it.  You  are  creating  in 
the  minds  of  the  children  high  ideals  of 
living,  withdrawing  their  attention  from 
the  petty  neighborhood  affairs  which 
would  otherwise  engross  their  thoughts, 
and  preparing  them  to  meet  life's  duties 
bravely.  These  memory  gems  will  be  an 
inspiration  to  them  in  the  years  to 
come." 

"  The  attitude  of  the  teacher  and  the 
primary  pupil  toward  each  other  to-day 
is  marvelously  different  from  that  of 
former  times,"  said  Professor  Gordon. 
"  I  shall  never  forget  what  a  sense  of  re- 
lief I  felt  when  school  was  dismissed  the 
first  day  and  I  had  not  received  a  whip- 
ping. The  teacher  of  this  school,  how- 
ever, proved  to  be  very  kind  to  me,  though 
he  was  a  man  who  possessed  neither  cul- 
ture nor  character ;  and,  by  the  way,  char- 
acter should  be  the  first  consideration  in 
the  selection  of  a  teacher.    No  man,  it  mat- 


THE    DISTRICT    CONFERENCE)  143 

ters  not  how  good  a  scholar  he  may  be  or 
how  skilful  in  methods,  is  fit  to  be  a  teacher 
unless  his  character  and  life  are  worthy 
to  be  imitated  by  the  children  whom  he 
teaches. 

"  But  I  was  about  to  speak  of  the  atti- 
tude of  the  teacher  and  the  child  toward 
each  other.  In  those  times  fear  was  usu- 
ally the  motive  appealed  to;  now  it  is 
love.  Then  the  teacher's  efforts  were  to 
repress  the  activities  of  childhood;  now 
they  are  to  direct  them.  Then  the  watch- 
word was  '  Don't ;'  now  it  is  '  Do,  if  you 
please/ 

"  The  best  teachers  now  adapt  their  in- 
struction to  the  child,  while  formerly  they 
undertook  to  conform  the  child  to  the 
instruction.  Then  rules  had  to  be  memo- 
rized before  their  meaning  was  consid- 
ered, now  rules  are  evolved  from  the 
child's  experience,  so  that  when  he  has 
been  led  to  state  them  correctly,  yet  in  his 
own  language,  he  comprehends  them. 


144  THE   LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

"  I  remember  one  girl  who  took  the 
prize  for  being  the  best  '  grammarian  ' 
in  school.  The  teacher  in  presenting  the 
prize,  concluded  his  remarks  by  saying: 
'  It  affords  me  great  pleasure  to  inform 
your  friends  here  that  your  record  is  re- 
markable. For  not  once  during  this  en- 
tire session  have  you  failed  to  answer  a 
grammar  question  correctly.'  Yet  she 
continued  as  before  saying  '  I  have  saw  ' 
and  '  I  knowed  it/  On  the  contrary,  I 
find  from  my  conversation  with  a  twelve- 
year-old  boy  here  to-day  that  he  has  a 
pretty  clear  knowledge  of  all  the  parts  of 
speech,  and  that  he  uses  better  English 
than  when  I  saw  him  last  spring,  in  fact, 
much  better  than  that  he  hears  at  home." 

"  You  spoke  of  the  difference  in  the  at- 
titude of  the  pupil  and  the  teacher  toward 
each  other  at  present/'  said  the  Bishop. 
"  I  have  seen  boys  feign  lameness,  pretend 
to  be  sick,  and  make  all  sorts  of  excuses 
to  keep  from  going  to  school,  nor  is  it  to 


THE    DISTRICT    CONFERENCE  145 

be  wondered  at  when  we  remember  what 
a  cheerless  place  the  school-house  was  and 
how  tyrannical  the  teacher.  Children 
were  made  to  stand  on  the  table,  to  toe  a 
mark,  to  hold  a  heavy  book  out  at  arm's 
length,  to  stand  on  tiptoe  with  their 
finger  touching  a  certain  seam  in  the 
wall ;  they  were  ridiculed,  jeered  at,  hissed 
at,  and  subjected  to  any  other  '  cruel  and 
unusual  punishment '  that  the  teacher's 
whims  might  suggest. 

"  The  peculiarities  and  limitations  of 
tender  childhood  did  not  receive  due  con- 
sideration. I  remember  seeing  a  little  boy 
go  to  sleep  in  the  school-room  one  sultry 
summer  afternoon.  He  was  only  six  years 
old.  He  occupied  a  seat  so  high  that  his 
feet  dangled  above  the  floor  and  his  back 
was  unsupported.  The  teacher  noticed 
him  as  he  sat  there  with  his  shoulders 
drooped  and  his  mouth  open.  Instead  of 
laying  him  down  gently  that  he  might  sat- 
isfy the  demands  of  nature,  or    sending 


146  THE   LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

him  out  to  play  that  he  might  refresh  him- 
self in  the  open  air,  he  pushed  him  off  the 
seat!  The  little  fellow  screamed  with 
fright,  and  got  up  with  his  nose  bleeding. 

"  Oh,  the  heartlessness  of  such  a 
teacher !  " 

"  Let  me  tell  you  a  story,"  said  Mr. 
Barnes,  an  intelligent  but  uneducated 
farmer  from  the  upper  Cumberland  coun- 
try, who  had  listened  to  the  conversation. 

"  I  was  about  ten  years  old.  A  lot  of 
us  children  had  gathered  at  the  school- 
house  one  Monday  morning,  the  first  day 
of  the  session.  We  had  never  seen  the 
new  teacher.  He  was  late  in  coming,  and 
by  the  time  he  got  there  we  were  having 
a  pretty  lively  time  in  the  school-house. 
Suddenly  there  was  a  tremendous  crash 
at  the  door.  We  stopped  abruptly,  and 
turned  to  look  at  the  stranger  who  stood 
on  the  steps  with  half  a  dozen  long 
switches  in  his  hand.  He  had  made  the 
noise  that  startled  us  by  striking  the  floor 


THE    DISTRICT    CONFERENCE  147 

vehemently  with  the  switches.  As  we 
gazed  at  him  in  astonishment,  he  shouted : 
•  Take  your  seats !  Death  and  Destruction 
is  at  the  door ! '  " 

"And  I  think  he  was  right,"  said  the 
Bishop.  Taking  out  his  watch,  he  arose 
and  remarked,  "  It  is  time  for  us  to  get 
ready  for  services." 


£  % 


* 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

HOLDING  THE  ATTENDANCE 

£PHE  Shady  Grove  school  opened  each 
autumn  with  a  large  enrolment,  but 
the  attendance  usually  dwindled  rapidly 
after  the  first  two  or  three  weeks.  The 
people  of  the  community  for  the  most  part 
kept  their  children  at  home  whenever  they 
needed  their  services  in  the  least.  Conse- 
quently by  the  time  "  bad  weather  set  in," 
that  is,  when  the  first  white  frost  came, 
the  school  was  scarcely  alive. 

Helen  was  ambitious  to  hold  the  attend- 
ance, and  made  careful  plans  for  this  pur- 
pose. She  depended  not  only  on  her 
own  resources,  but  consulted  her  school 
journals,  and  her  books  on  teaching,  and 
corresponded  with  some  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful teachers  that  she  knew.  Her  con- 
clusions may  be  summed  up  in  a  few 
words ;  namely,  "  To  hold  the  attendance 
I  must  sustain  the  interest  of  the  pu- 
pils,—  and  the  parents  too.    The  interest, 

(148) 


HOLDING    THE:    ATTENDANCE  149 

if  I  mistake  not,  may  be  kept  lively  by  my 
having  something  pleasant  just  ahead  for 
the  pupils  to  look  forward  to  all  the  time." 

Her  plan  included  pleasant  surprises  for 
the  morning,  for  the  disagreeable  days, 
for  Friday  afternoons,  for  the  first  day 
of  the  month,  for  special  occasions  such 
as  Arbor  Day,  Thanksgiving,  the  birth- 
days of  authors  and  statesmen,  and  the 
close  of  school.  However,  it  is  but 
just  to  this  energetic  young  teacher  to 
assure  the  reader  that  she  never  allowed 
these  special  exercises  to  become  mere 
means  of  entertainment.  They  always 
had  their  educational  value,  and  related 
in  some  way  to  the  true  purpose  of  the 
school.  There  was  never  anything  coarse 
or  frivolous  in  them.  The  children  al- 
ways found  pleasure  in  this  supplement- 
ary work,  and  not  infrequently  suggested 
suitable  plans  and  occasions. 

All  of  these  exercises  were  brief,  a  reci- 
tation was  rarely  omitted,  and  the  regular 


150  THE   LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

work  of  the  school  was  certainly  as  thor- 
ough as  it  would  have  been  had  there  been 
none  of  these. 

"  Children,"  said  Helen,  one  day,  "  I 
have  sometimes  heard  that  people  say  we 
take  too  much  time  for  our  special  exer- 
cises. Would  you  like  to  have  nothing 
hereafter  but  recitations  ?  " 

A  general  protest  followed. 

"  Well,  I  am  glad,"  said  she,  "  that  you 
appreciate  the  things  that  we  have  been 
doing  outside  our  books.  I  think,  too, 
that  they  are  valuable  as  well  as  enjoy- 
able. It  seems  to  me  that  boys  and  girls 
who  come  to  school  regularly,  rain  or 
shine,  ought  to  have  school  made  as  pleas- 
ant for  them  as  possible. 

"  Suppose,"  said  she,  "  two  men  were 
cutting  wood.  One  stops  for  a  few  min- 
utes each  day  to  grind  his  axe,  and  the 
other  continues  cutting.  Which  is  the 
wise  man?  " 


HOLDING   THE   ATTENDANCE)  151 

The  children  were  quick  to  see  the  force 
of  the  parable,  and  the  explanations  which 
they  made  at  home  served  to  check  the 
slight  undercurrent  of  discontent. 

But  despite  her  utmost  efforts  in  this 
respect,  there  were  some  who  became  ir- 
regular in  their  attendance.  If  their  ab- 
sence was  due  to  illness,  she  manifested 
an  interest  in  them.  Sometimes  she  sent 
them  a  pleasant  greeting,  sometimes  a 
bunch  of  flowers,  sometimes  a  cheery  note, 
but  as  often  as  she  could  she  went  to  see 
them.  If  indifference  was  the  cause,  she 
had  a  friendly  talk  with  the  pupil,  aroused 
his  ambition  as  much  as  possible,  made 
him  feel  that  he  was  missed  at  school, 
and  having  awakened  a  desire  in  the  child 
to  return,  joined  him  in  an  appeal  to  the 
parents  in  which  she  strove  to  arouse 
also  their  ambition  and  hopes  for  the 
child,  though  without  resorting  to  flattery. 
When  they  were  detained  at  home  to  work, 
she  pursued  about  the  same  course,  except 


152  THE   LITTLE    SCHOOLMISTRESS 

that  her  arguments  were  somewhat  dif- 
ferent.   She  would  say :  — 

"  I  admit  that  work  has  to  be  done,  and 
I  am  delighted  to  see  my  boys  and  girls 
willing  to  do  it ;  but  I  feel  that  it  is  a  pity 
for  any  of  them  to  be  out  of  school.  They 
may  now  fit  themselves  for  much  more 
profitable  work  by-and-by  which  they 
will  be  unable  to  do  if  they  lose  the  oppor- 
tunities of  school." 

She  had  read  a  little  book  written  by 
Waitman  Barbe,  called  "  Going  to  Col- 
lege," and  also  some  articles  on  the  same 
subject  in  a  magazine,  and  was  thoroughly 
saturated  with  the  belief  that  education 
pays.  She  was  not  only  convinced  her- 
self, but  was  fully  equipped  for  an  expla- 
nation, and  so  tactful  in  the  use  of  her 
knowledge  that  she  rarely  failed  to  con- 
vince a  parent  of  the  duty  of  sending  the 
child  back  to  school. 

Helen's  visits  to  the  parents  afforded 
her  opportunities  to  know  what  to  expect 


HOLDING    THE)    ATTENDANCE;  153 

of  the  children  better  than  she  could  pos- 
sibly have  known  any  other  way.  She  had 
heard  some  of  the  younger  teachers  at 
the  Institute  talk  about  "  hewing  to  the 
line,"  being  "  impartial,"  making  children 
"  toe  the  mark,"  etc.,  but  she  had  thought, 
with  the  older  teachers,  that  the  nature 
of  each  child  and  the  conditions  which 
surrounded  it  should  be  taken  into  con- 
sideration in  dealing  with  them.  Her 
visits  confirmed  her  in  this  belief. 

One  day  a  little  boy  came  to  school  very 
late.  He  was  untidy  and  idle.  When  he 
was  called  on  in  class,  he  nearly  always 
asked  to  have  the  question  repeated,  and 
failed  so  completely  in  his  recitations  that 
Helen  finally  asked: — 

"  George,  have  you  prepared  your  les- 
sons ?  " 

11  No,  ma'am,"  said  he. 

She  noted  the  sadness  of  his  face  and 
said :    "  Well,  you  may  be  excused  from 


164  THE   LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

answering.  Just  sit  there  and  listen  to 
us." 

George  had  never  been  one  of  her 
best  pupils,  but  lately  he  had  been  indif- 
ferent toward  her  rather  than  disre- 
spectful. Still  he  was  not  kept  in  at  recess 
nor  scolded,  for  Helen  was  studying  the 
case.  That  afternoon,  when  school  was 
dismissed,  Helen  noticed  that  he  walked 
slowly  down  the  road  behind  the  other 
children.  She  overtook  him  before  long, 
and  began  a  conversation  with  him.  He 
lived  farther  from  the  school-house  than 
most  of  the  children,  and  consequently 
she  knew  less  of  his  home  life.  Before 
they  had  finished  their  conversation  she 
had  made  her  way  into  his  confidence, 
and  for  no  mean  purpose  either.  She 
saw  that  he  was  in  distress,  and  resolved 
to  understand  the  cause,  that  she  might, 
if  possible,  remove  it. 

"  Miss  Helen,"  he  said,  with  his  troub- 
led eyes  upon  the  ground,  as  he  pulled 


HOLDING    THE   ATTENDANCE  155 

the  top  off  of  a  weed  by  the  roadside,  "  I 
am  sorry  I  did  n't  know  my  lessons  to- 
day, but  I  just  couldn't  he'p  it.  Papa 
went  to  town  yeste'day,  and  did  n't  get 
home  until  a  way  late  in  the  night.  Mama 
was  so  uneasy  before  he  come  that  she 
was  cryin',  and  after  he  come  he  cut  up 
so  we  could  n't  sleep  nor  cook  breakfast 
this  morning,  for  he  was  drinkin'  again. 
I  have  n't  had  nothin'  to  eat  since  supper 
last  night,  and  just  bread  and  potatoes 
then.  Papa  spends  most  of  his  money  for 
whiskey,  and  mama  can't  leave  home  to 
do  anything  because  the  baby  is  too  little." 

"  Do  you  suppose  your  father  is  sober 
by  this  time?  " 

"  Well,  if  he  is  he  is  sick,  and  will  be 
awful  cross  to  us  for  two  or  three  days." 

When  they  parted,  Helen  told  him  not 
to  worry  about  his  lessons,  that  she  was 
sure  he  was  doing  the  best  he  could. 

That  afternoon  Helen  told  Esquire 
Brown  of  the  little  boy's  circumstances. 


156  THE    UTTUS    SCHOOLMISTRESS 

He  understood  the  case  thoroughly,  and 
sent  a  fine  piece  of  fresh  beef  before  night 
to  George's  mother  with  his  compliments, 
as  he  could  very  easily  do  without  embar- 
rassing her,  for  she  was  an  old  schoolmate 
and  friend. 

On  Saturday  following  Helen  visited 
George's  home.  She  found  them  living  in 
a  small  "  box  V  house  by  the  side  of  the 
road.  The  rail  fence  which  surrounded 
it  was  down  in  places.  Tall  weeds  grew 
in  the  yard,  and  there  were  pillows  thrust 
into  the  windows  where  panes  of  glass 
were  gone. 

There  were  five  children  in  the  family, 
and  George,  who  was  only  thirteen,  was 
the  oldest.  The  room  was  crowded  and 
cheerless.  Mrs.  Taylor  was  making  a 
calico  dress  for  a  neighbor.  George  was 
just  starting  to  mill  on  horseback  with  a 
bushel  of  corn  which  he  himself  had 
shelled. 


HOLDING    THE    ATTENDANCE  157 

Helen  spent  half  an  hour  or  more,  but 
made  no  reference  to  their  unhappy  con- 
dition or  to  George's  failure  to  know  his 
lessons.  However,  she  expressed  her  con- 
fidence in  George  as  a  manly  little  fellow 
who  always  did  the  best  he  could. 

"  I  notice  that  you  sew,  Mrs.  Taylor," 
said  Helen. 

"  Yes,  when  I  can  get  any  sewing  to 
do." 

"  Well,  I  have  been  at  a  loss  to  know 
whom  I  could  get  to  do  some  sewing  for 
me.  Could  you  make  a  dress  for  me  next 
week?" 

"  Yes,  if  I  can  make  it  well  enough  for 
you,"  said  Mrs.  Taylor. 

"  Oh,  I'm  sure  you  can  do  that,"  said 
Helen.  "  I  will  send  you  the  goods  by 
George,  and  will  come  again  when  you  are 
ready  to  fit  it." 

The  room  was  becoming  dark.  Mrs. 
Taylor  turned  to  her  oldest  daughter  and 
said :  — 


158  THE   UTTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

"  Mary,  my  dear,  please  light  a  lamp." 

The  child  promptly  took  down  a  lamp 
from  the  mantel.  Helen  noticed  that 
there  was  no  chimney  on  it,  and  thought 
of  George's  lessons.  A  moment  later 
Mary  announced  that  the  oil  was  out. 

"  Oh,  dear  me !  "  said  Mrs.  Taylor, 
"  your  papa  intended  to  get  some  in  town 
the  other  day,  but  I  suppose  he  forgot  it." 

From  this  house  where  the  wolf  of  pov- 
erty and  the  hyena  of  drunkenness  howled 
about  the  door  and  terrorized  the  inmates, 
Helen  passed  down  the  road,  and  stopped 
to  spend  the  night  at  a  prosperous  home 
where  there  were  peace,  plenty,  and 
contentment.  It  was  quite  dark  when 
she  entered  the  yard.  Through  the  win- 
dow at  the  right  side  of  the  porch  she  saw 
three  children,  two  of  whom  were  class- 
mates of  George,  seated  in  a  comfortably 
furnished  room  to  themselves  apart  from 
the  family.  On  a  large  center  table  stood 
a  brilliant  lamp  with  a  good  shade  on  it, 


HOLDING  THE  ATTENDANCE  159 

and  the  children  were  studying  their  les- 
sons by  it.  Through  the  other  window- 
she  saw  a  bright  fire,  and  by  it  in  comfort- 
able rocking  chairs  a  happy  pair  "  in  ac- 
cord ordering  their  household  lovingly." 
"  They  who  will  may  hew  to  the  line/' 
thought  Helen,  "  but  as  for  me,  I  will  be 
just." 


n 


CHAPTER  XXV 

VISITING  THE  PARENTS 
JJ'ELEN  always  enjoyed  outdoor  life, 
and  during  the  long  afternoons  in 
the  early  autumn  and  on  Saturdays  she 
visited  every  home  from  which  children 
came  to  her  school.  Although  she  was 
very  familiar  with  rural  conditions,  she 
made  some  valuable  discoveries,  and 
gained  much  information  that  helped 
her  to  deal  intelligently  with  each  pupil 
according  to  his  peculiar  environment. 
Moreover,  she  learned  the  effect  her  work 
was  producing  on  the  children,  and  became 
more  and  more  impressed  with  the  re- 
sponsibility resting  upon  her  as  a  teacher. 
One  mother  told  her  how  orderly  little 
Maggie  had  become  since  she  started  to 
school.  That  now  she  had  a  place  for  ev- 
erything, and  was  so  careful  to  keep  every- 
thing where  it  belonged  that  her  young 
uncle  called  her  "the  old  maid/'  Her 
kitten  was  named  Helen. 

(160) 


VISITING    THE    PARENTS  161 

Another  mother  said :  "I  have  always 
had  to  compel  my  children  to  go  to  school 
until  this  term,  and  now  I  find  it  difficult 
to  keep  them  at  home  when  I  must.  They 
always  have  some  excuse  for  wanting  to 
go  that  particular  day.  Not  long  since 
I  wanted  one  of  my  boys  to  help  me  with 
my  fruit,  and  he  said :  '  O  mama,  I  just 
can't  stay  to-day ! '  '  Well,  why  not  ?  '  I 
said.  '  Oh,  we  are  fixing  for  Thanksgiv- 
ing Day  exercises,  and  I  have  a  part 
in  them/ 

"  Another  day  when  I  wanted  Susie  to 
stay  at  home  and  keep  the  baby  while  I 
went  to  cousin  John's  wedding,  she  plead 
so  with  me  not  to  keep  her  at  home  that  I 
finally  took  the  baby  with  me,  although 
babies  are  seldom  taken  to  weddings. 
That  was  the  day  that  you  took  your  class 
down  by  the  creek  to  study  geography." 

In  one  of  the  poorest  homes  she  learned 
that  a  considerable  part  of  the  feathers 
from  the  beds  had  been  sold  that  the  chil- 


162  THE   UTTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

dren  might  be  supplied  with  books,  not 
strictly  because  the  parents  realized  the 
necessity  for  books,  but  rather  because 
the  children  had  insisted  so  much  on  hav- 
ing them. 

Another  family  had  a  little  boy  in  it 
whose  mother  made  apologies  for  his 
patched  clothes. 

"  But  they  are  all  right,  Miss  Helen,', 
said  he,  with  emphasis,  somewhat  to  the 
mother's  chagrin.  "If  'a  man's  a  man 
for  a'  that/  I  guess  a  boy  is  too.  I  had  to 
do  without  new  clothes  or  books  one,  and 
these  old  clothes  will  keep  me  warm;  so 
I  just  told  ma  I  would  take  the  books, 
'cause  I  don't  mean  to  let  them  other  boys 
get  ahead  o'  me." 

One  farmer  leaned  over  the  fence  and 
engaged  Helen  in  conversation  for  some 
minutes,  as  she  passed  by  his  field  on  one 
of  her  Saturday  outings. 

"  Wall,  Miss  Helen,"  he  drawled,  "  you 
must  hev  some  mighty  fine  way  of  manag- 


VISITING    THE    PARENTS  168 

in'  the  childern.  I  have  alius  allowed  my 
boys  to  go  fishin'  or  huntin'  or  do  any- 
thing they  pleased  on  Sat'rday  after  din- 
ner. But  I'll  be  blamed,  if  I  wa'n't  s'prised 
yestiday  when  I  tol'  'em  to  stay  at  home 
an'  help  me  gether  this  corn,  and  they 
commenced  beggin'  me  to  put  it  off  and 
gether  it  to-day. 

"  '  To-morrow  is  Sat'rday,'  says  I,  '  an' 
you  know  you  won't  want  to  work  Sat'r- 
day ev'nin'.' 

"  '  I  would  rather  work  on  Sat'rday  af- 
ternoon,' said  Charlie,  '  than  miss  school 
to-day.  We  just  must  go  to-day,  because 
it  is  the  review  Friday,  and  Miss  Helen 
always  has  somethin'  extra  on  review 
days.'  " 

Helen  was  much  amused  and  yet  em- 
barrassed by  her  conversation  with  the 
mother  of  the  largest  family  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. They  lived  near  one  or  two 
other  families  whose  children  were  very 
intimate. 


164  THE   LITTLE    SCHOOLMISTRESS 

"  The  children  have  played  school  a 
great  deal  for  the  last  two  or  three  years 
right  out  under  that  apple  tree,"  said  the 
mother. 

"  The  '  teacher  ■  used  to  have  a  great 
deal  of  '  trouble  '  with  her  '  pupils/  She 
was  threatening,  scolding,  and  keeping 
them  in  nearly  all  the  time.  She  always 
held  a  switch  in  her  hand  when  she 
1  taught/  but  this  year  I  notice  they  play 
quite  differently.  They  are  not  half  so 
noisy  as  they  used  to  be. 

"The  'teacher'  talks  kindly  to  the 
'  pupils/  and  they  obey  her  obligingly. 
They  decorate  the  school-house  by  pinning 
pictures  on  the  trunk  of  the  tree,  sweep 
the  ground,  put  cups  of  flowers  on  that 
block  of  wood  which  you  see  there, —  that 
is  the  table, —  and  then  sit  up  and  listen 
to  stories  which  you  know  better  than  I. 
They  spell,  read,  write,  and  recite  their 
lessons  in  a  way  that  would  reflect  credit 
on  a  real  school.    Even  little  Johnnie  Sims, 


VISITING   THE    PARENTS  165 

who  was  always  so  disagreeable  with  the 
children  before,  plays  with  them  now 
without  causing  any  trouble.  No  fairy 
queen  with  her  magic  wand  ever  wrought 
a  more  complete  transformation  than  has 
come  about  in  this  mimic  school;  and  to 
me,  Miss  Helen,  it  seems  but  a  reflection 
of  your  own  good  example,  and  shows 
that  your  influence  is  not  confined  to  your 
school  hours.  While  they  are  playing  out 
there,  their  habits  are  being  formed,  their 
dispositions  cultivated,  and  in  such  play  as 
this  their  better  natures  are  developed  and 
their  evil  tendencies  subjected  to  better 
ones.  I  prepared  myself  for  teaching,  and 
taught  a  while  before  I  was  married,  but 
it  frightens  me  now  to  think  of  it,  for  I 
did  not  comprehend  what  I  was  about." 
Some  weeks  after  Helen's  visit  to 
George's  home,  of  which  we  gave  an  ac- 
count in  the  last  chapter,  she  called  again 
one  Saturday  afternoon.  This  time 
George  was  digging  potatoes  in  the  gar- 


166  THE   LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

den,  and  the  other  children  were  gather- 
ing them  up.  The  burst  of  delight  that 
illumined  George's  face  when  he  saw 
Helen  coming,  repaid  her  many  times 
over  for  the  long  and  dusty  walk. 

"  Mighty  glad  to  see  you,  Miss  Helen, 
just  go  into  the  house.  I  will  be  in  there 
in  a  little  while.  I've  got  something  to 
show  you." 

Pretty  soon  George  came  tottering  in, 
bearing  a  great  basketful  of  potatoes  to 
the  half-deserted  room  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  entrance.  He  emptied  his  potatoes, 
threw  his  basket  far  out  into  the  yard, 
dusted  his  hands  by  striking  them  vigor- 
ously together,  and  took  down  from  a 
shelf  that  he  could  just  reach  on  tiptoe, 
a  book  which  showed  from  its  appearance 
that  it  had  seen  hard  times.  It  was  sim- 
ply filthy,  but  he  opened  it  in  haste  and 
turned  rapidly  to  the  place  in  it  where  he 
had  left  his  little  sister's  Sunday-school 
card. 


VISITING    THE    PARENTS  167 

"  Just  look  here,  Miss  Helen/'  he  cried, 
"  I  found  this  old  book  over  yonder  close 
to  the  store,  where  somebody  had  unloaded 
a  lot  of  trash.  It  has  things  in  it  that 
Longfellow  wrote.  Let  me  show  you. 
There  is  one  of  his  poems  that  you  read  us, 
and  here  is  another,  and  over  here  in  the 
back  is  a  long  piece  from  Tennyson." 

As  Helen  returned  to  her  home  that 
afternoon,  she  passed  through  beautiful 
glens  such  as  might  have  inspired  Words- 
worth or  Bryant.  "  Here/'  she  thought, 
"  one  may  find  '  tongues  in  trees,  books 
in  running  brooks,  sermons  in  stones,  and 
good  in  everything.'  Yes,  certainly,  but 
there  is  good  not  only  in  these  things, 
but  also  in  the  boy  who  can  redeem  a  good 
book  from  a  garbage  heap,  and  appreciate 
the  literary  beauty  which  it  contains;  es- 
pecially when  his  home  life  is  so  prosaic 
as  George's  must  be." 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

A  LESSON  IN  GEOGRAPHY 
0}NE  bright  day  in  the  autumn,  when 
Helen  called  the  school  together  for 
the  afternoon  session,  she  said: — 

"  We  will  vary  the  program  for  the  re- 
mainder of  the  day.  Instead  of  getting 
your  lessons  according  to  the  schedule 
on  the  blackboard  as  usual,  you  who  study 
geography  will  please  review  those  parts 
which  relate  to  the  natural  divisions  of 
land  and  water  and  to  the  occupations  of 
men,  while  I  hear  the  recitations  of  the 
little  people." 

For  the  next  thirty  or  forty  minutes 
the  Shady  Grove  school  in  several  re- 
spects resembled  a  bee-hive.  Its  inmates 
were  busy  and  happy.  Although  there 
was  no  confusion,  there  was  not  absolute 
quiet.  No  one  interfered  with  another. 
There  was  no  constraint,  except  interest; 
no  disloyalty  to  the  Queen  of  the  hive,  and 
no  drones  prominent. 

(168) 


A   LESSON    IN    GEOGRAPHY  169 

These  pupils  had  not  only  been  taught 
the  importance  of  studying,  but  from 
timely  suggestions  and  the  aid  of  the  study 
program  had  become  more  skilful  in  the 
art  than  most  children.  (The  geography 
class  understood  the  use  of  the  index  to 
their  books,  and  their  frequent  turning 
back  and  forth  denoted  that  they  were 
searching  intelligently  for  information) 

At  two  o'clock  the  small  children  were 
dismissed,  and  Helen  and  her  geography 
class,  followed  by  two  or  three  little  fel- 
lows who  could  not  reach  their  distant 
homes  safely  alone,  proceeded  to  the  mill 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away.  This 
mill  stood  on  a  high  bank.  It  had  been 
there  for  two  or  three  generations.  At 
first  it  was  only  a  water-mill,  and  even  yet 
the  grinding  was  done  in  winter  and  much 
of  the  time  in  other  seasons  by  water 
power.  In  later  years  a  large  shed  had 
been  added  to  the  upper  side,  under  which 
was  a  modern  saw-mill.     The  dam  just 


170  THE   LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

opposite  the  mill  was  seven  or  eight  feet 
high.  A  recent  rain  had  caused  a  rise  in 
the  stream  so  that  a  considerable  quantity 
of  water  poured  over  it.  The  grist-mill 
was  grinding  briskly  by  water  power, 
and  under  the  shed  with  great  rumble, 
clatter,  puffing,  and  whirring  the  saw-mill 
was  converting  the  logs  into  plank. 

Helen  and  the  children  came  up  the 
stream  by  the  side  on  which  the  mill  stood, 
and  stopped  in  an  open  place  some  forty 
yards  below  it. 

"  Let  us  rest  here  for  awhile,"  said 
Helen.  "  Take  your  seats  on  some  of 
these  logs,  and  tell  me  what  you  see  that 
reminds  you  of  what  you  studied  in  your 
geographies  this  afternoon." 

"  There's  a  waterfall,"  said  one. 

"  And  there's  an  island,"  said  another. 

"  And  there  is  a  peninsula,"  said  Billy. 

"  That  ain't  a  peninsula,"  said  Katha- 
rine. 

"  If  a  peninsula  is  a  piece  of  land  al- 


A    LESSON    IN    GEOGRAPHY  171 

most  surrounded  by  water,"  said  Billy, 
"  just  look  at  that  and  see  if  it  ain't  one." 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  was  thinking  of  an  isth- 
mus," admitted  Katharine. 

"  Well,  there  is  one,"  said  Billy.  "  If 
you  would  like  to  have  an  isthmus,  that 
little  neck  of  land  that  connects  your 
peninsula  to  the  bank." 

"  Suppose  your  isthmus  should  wash 
away,"  said  Helen,  "  what  would  your 
peninsula  then  be  ?  " 

"  Oh,  an  island,  of  course,"  said  Julia. 

"  Look  just  across  the  creek  there. 
You  see  that  small  stream  running  into 
this  one?  What  is  the  proper  name  for 
it?" 

"  Tributary,"  cried  half  a  dozen  at 
once. 

"  And  what  are  all  the  streams  that 
gather  to  make  this  one,  from  the  hills 
which  we  see  over  in  front  of  us,  to  those 
far  behind  us  through  the  whole  length  of 
the  valley?" 


172  THE   UTTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

After  several  attempts,  the  word  "  sys- 
tem "  was  reached  by  one  of  the  more 
thoughtful. 

"  And  suppose  every  one  of  these  little 
streams  were  a  river,  you  can  see  that  you 
would  have  — 

"  A  river  system." 

"  You  notice  where  these  two  streams 
meet  the  land  is  pointed.     There  we  have 


"  Cape,"  said  several  at  once. 

"  Since  the  cape  is  high  and  rocky,  it 
is  a  " 

"  Promontory,"  said  one. 

Thus  they  continued  until  they  had 
identified  almost  every  natural  division  of 
land  and  water. 

"  You  see  that  man  plowing  over 
there?  "  said  Helen,  pointing  to  Mr.  Peter 
Sullivan,  who  was  "  turning "  the  field 
with  a  two-horse  plow.  "  What  is  his 
occupation  ?  " 

"  Farming,"  answered  Charlie. 


A    LESSON    IN    GEOGRAPHY  173 

"  And  do  you  see  any  one  engaged  in 
any  other  occupation  about  here  ?  " 

They  glanced  rapidly  in  various  di- 
rections, and  then  several  exclaimed, 
"  Yes  'm,  yes  'm." 

"  The  men  who  are  running  the  mill  up 
there  are  not  farmers,"  said  one. 

"Then  what  are  they?"  asked  Helen. 

"  Oh !  manufacturers,  because  they  are 
making  things,"  said  Katharine  Brown, 
clapping  her  hands.  "  A  miller  makes 
meal  and  flour  out  of  grain,  and  plank  out 
of  logs." 

"  And  I  know  somethin'  else,"  said 
Charlie.  "  The  men  who  are  hauling 
these  logs  to  the  mill  are  lumbermen." 

"  And  them  what's  hauling  the  flour 
and  the  plank  to  town  and  sellin'  9m  are 
engaged  in  commerce,"  added  Ned,  the 
dullest  pupil  in  the  class,  with  a  much 
happier  look  than  usual. 

"  And,"  said  George,  "  all  them  cows 
and  sheep  on  the    hill    mean    something. 


174  the  little  schoolmistress 

They  belong  to  Mr.  Brown.  His  occu- 
pation is  stock  raising  as  well  as  farm- 
ing." 

Just  then  old  Uncle  Ben,  an  ex-slave, 
who  had  lived  past  his  Biblical  limit  of 
threescore  years  and  ten,  hobbled  down 
opposite  the  mill  to  the  edge  of  the  water 
with  a  tomato  can  in  one  hand  and  a 
fishing  pole  in  the  other.  He  took  his 
seat  on  a  projecting  rock,  baited  his  hook 
with  a  red  worm,  spit  on  it,  and  threw  it 
into  the  water. 

"  What  is  Uncle  Ben's  occupation  ?  " 
said  Charlie. 

"  Killing  time/'  answered  Billy. 

"  O  pshaw !  I  know  he  don't  do  any- 
thing," said  Charlie,  "  but  what  occupa- 
tion does  he  make  you  think  of  as  you 
look  at  him  over  there  ?  " 

"  Fishing,"  said  Lucy. 

And  thus  they  went  the  round  of  the 
occupations. 

"  Can  you  tell  me  why  they  put  the  mill 


A   LESSON    IN    GEOGRAPHY  175 

here,  instead  of  at  some  other  place  ?  " 
asked  Helen. 

As  the  children  looked  up  and  down  the 
valley,  they  were  led  to  see  that  at  no 
other  point  could  a  dam  have  been  built 
so  easily  or  the  mill  have  been  so  safe 
from  high  water  as  here,  and  the  road  fol- 
lowing close  to  the  hillside  came  this  way 
very  naturally. 

"  And  for  such  reasons  great  cities 
grow  up  where  they  do,"  said  Helen. 
"  Without  the  Hudson  River  there  would 
have  been  no  New  York  where  it  is ;  and 
without  the  Mississippi  no  New  Orleans; 
and  without  a  little  stream  called  Chicago 
River,  which  serves  as  a  harbor  on  the 
lake  shore,  even  Chicago  would  have  been 
built  somewhere  else,  or  not  at  all." 

From  this  point  they  proceeded  to  in- 
spect the  mill.  The  miller  showed  them 
every  part  of  it,  and  explained  its  work- 
ings in  detail,  from  the  old  water-wheel 

to  the  new  style  bolting  machine.     Like- 
12 


176  THE   LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

wise,  in  the  saw-mill,  the  boiler,  the  steam 
gauge,  the  engine,  with  its  tremendous 
fly-wheel,  the  huge  carriage  running  back 
and  forth,  and  the  great  circular  saw 
which  ripped  the  big  logs  open  so  easily. 
The  miller  had  the  machinery  stopped 
while  the  workmen  placed  a  new  log  on 
the  carriage  in  order  that  he  might  be 
heard  as  he  explained  things  to  the  chil- 
dren. While  they  were  intently  listening, 
the  safety  valve  suddenly  opened.  The 
sound  of  the  escaping  steam  was  so  un- 
expected and  so  startling  that  all  the  vis- 
itors were  taken  completely  by  surprise. 
The  girls  shrieked,  and  one  of  the  little 
ones  ran  up  the  hill  half  way  to  the  road 
screaming.  Billy,  who  was  more  accus- 
tomed to  the  mill  than  the  other  boys, 
called  out  as  soon  as  he  could  be  heard :  — 

"What  's  the  matter,  Johnnie?  Did 
you  think  the  '  biler  '  had  '  busted  '  ?  " 

Shortly  afterward  Helen  dismissed  the 
children,  and  they  went  to  their  homes. 


A  LESSON  IN  GEOGRAPHY  177 

During  the  next  week  those  who  had 
gone  on  this  outing  spent  much  time  writ- 
ing accounts  of  it.  They  did  not  even 
suspect  that  they  were  preparing  "  com- 
positions/' though  they  asked  frequently 
for  information  as  to  the  best  way  to 
express  themselves,  where  to  use  capi- 
tals, and  how  to  punctuate.  Their  prod- 
ucts were  as  natural  as  if  they  had  been 
talking,  and  some  were  really  graphic. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

A  SCHOOL  BOY'S  "IMPUDENCE" 

<3TTR.  SULLIVAN,  who  was  plowing  in 
the  field  opposite  the  mill  while  the 
children  were  studying  real  geography, 
was  no  little  annoyed  by  what  he  consid- 
ered a  waste  of  time.  At  first  he  supposed 
that  they  were  picnicing,  but  when  some 
of  the  children  who  understood  Helen's 
purpose  undertook  to  explain  it  to  him, 
he  said  gruffly :  — 

"  Humph !  That  is  all  nonsense.  She 
had  better  be  learnin*  them  their  books. 
We  did  n't  have  any  such  f oolin'  around 
when  I  was  at  school,  and  children  learned 
a  sight  faster  then  than  they  do  now." 

For  some  weeks  he  never  lost  an  oppor- 
tunity to  insinuate  that  the  school  was  not 
doing  any  good,  and  frequently  tried  to 
get  derogatory  information  from  the  chil- 
dren whom  he  met.  Helen  heard  all  this, 
but  ignored  it.  Finally  the  old  farmer's 
dissatisfaction    became    so    well    known 

(178) 


A    SCHOOL    BOY'S    "IMPUDENCE."  179 

throughout  the  neighborhood  that  people 
were  prepared  for  anything  he  might  say. 

One  Saturday  afternoon  Billy,  Char- 
lie, and  several  other  boys  from  Helen's 
school  happened  to  meet  the  dissatisfied 
patron  just  below  the  mill. 

"  Hello,  boys !  where  is  that  new-fangled 
teacher  ?  " 

"  Do  you  mean  Miss  Helen  ?  "  said  one 
of  the  boys. 

"  Yes,"  said  he,  with  something  in  his 
manner  that  showed  he  appreciated  the 
cunning  rebuke  that  had  been  adminis- 
tered to  him. 

"  What  kind  of  lessons  have  you  been 
having  out  here  on  the  bank  of  the  crick?  " 

"  Oh,  we  have  been  learning  lots  of 
things,"  said  one  of  the  boys  seriously. 

"  Yes,  you  have  been  fooling  away 
some  mighty  good  time,"  said  he.  "What 
could  you  learn  out  here  ?  " 

"  We  learned  geography,"  said  one  of 
them. 


180  THE   UTTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

"G'ography,  nothin',"  said  he.  "In 
the  house  is  the  place  to  study  g'ogra- 

Phy." 

"  O  pshaw,"  said  Charlie,  "  folks  study 
geography  to  learn  about  the  earth,  and 
do  you  think  they  must  get  off  the  earth 
to  understand  it  ?  " 

"  Mr.  Sullivan,  I  don't  mean  to  be 
sassy,  but  as  you  have  been  bragging  so 
much  lately  about  how  children  learned 
in  your  old-fashion  schools,  '  where  they 
always  kept  the  door  shut/  let  me  ask 
you  a  few  questions  on  geography  right 
here. 

"  Now  what  is  a  peninsula  ? 

"  A  promontory  ? 

"  Eh !  '  Don't  recollect '  ?  Well,  then, 
please  explain  to  us  boys  what  the  prin- 
cipal occupations  of  men  are." 

"  O  darn  your  impudence,"  said  he,  "  I 
ain't  got  time  to  answer  your  fool  ques- 
tions." 


A    SCHOOL    BOY'S    "IMPUDENCE. 


181 


The  boys  broke  out  into  a  loud  laugh  as 
the  farmer  kicked  his  mule  vigorously 
and  rode  off  at  a  fast  trot. 

Thereafter  Mr.  Sullivan  was  seldom 
heard  to  find  fault  with  Helen's  methods. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

THE  "  SCALAWAG  CLASS  " 
£T1HE  October  session  of  the  County 
Teachers'  Association  met  at  Berry- 
dale,  having  been  invited  there  by  Mr. 
Bostick,  who  was  teaching  his  first  ses- 
sion in  that  neighborhood.  He  desired 
to  arouse  as  much  interest  as  possible 
among  his  patrons,  and  very  wisely  in- 
duced the  County  Association  to  meet  in 
his  school-house. 

Under  Mr.  Bostick's  leadership  the  peo- 
ple made  ample  preparations  to  entertain 
the  teachers.  The  occasion  was  liberally 
advertised,  and  a  bounteous  dinner  as- 
sured. The  weather  was  exceptionally 
fine,  and  the  attendance  was  large. 
Teachers  were  there  from  all  parts  of  the 
county.  The  patrons  of  Mr.  Bostick's 
school,  unlike  those  of  the  county  seat, 
attended  the  Institute,  and  enjoyed  the 
discussions.  It  would  be  tedious  to  give 
a   detailed   account   of   the   proceedings, 

(182) 


THE    "  SCALAWAG    CLASS."  183 

therefore  we  shall  confine  ourselves  to 
only  a  few  of  the  more  important  matters. 

In  his  opening  address  the  Superin- 
tendent emphasized  Herbert  Spencer's 
definition,  of  education,  namely,  "That 
which   fits  us   for  complete  living." 

"  Much  that  we  call  education,"  he 
said,  "  is  mere  memory  cramming.  If  a 
dictionary  could  walk  and  talk,  it  could 
answer  questions,  but  would  it  have 
power  to  earn  a  living,  defend  a  right, 
arouse  a  hope,  or  allay  the  anguish  of  a 
troubled  soul?  Knowledge  merely  pos- 
sessed does  not  fit  us  for  living.  To  do 
this  it  must  be  assimilated;  it  must  be 
transformed  into  power;  it  must  become 
a  part  of  self.  As  physical  exercise  pro- 
motes physical  development,  in  fact,  is 
essential  to  it,  so  mental  exercise  —  think- 
ing, the  application,  the  personal  use,  of 
one's  knowledge  —  is  indispensable  in 
true  education. 

"  This  word  '  education  '  has  a  two-fold 


184  THE   LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

meaning.  In  one  sense  it  means  to  draw 
out  the  inherent  powers;  in  the  other,  to 
nourish  them.  To  educate  completely  one 
must  do  both.  Consequently  the  school, 
to  fulfil  its  purposes,  must  supply  the 
pupils  regularly  with  fresh  knowledge 
suitable  to  their  needs,  and  train  them 
individually  in  the  use  of  it. 

"  We  often  hear  it  said  that  educated 
people  are  impractical.  This  is  not  true. 
Those  educated  in  the  true  sense  are  the 
most  practical  people  in  the  world.  Since 
Moses  led  the  Children  of  Israel  out  of 
bondage,  and  St.  Paul  converted  the  Gen- 
tile world  to  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ, 
the  progress  of  the  race,  whether  in  re- 
ligion, science,  art,  philosophy,  literature, 
government,  or  material  things,  has  been 
achieved  under  the  leadership  of  educated 
men.  A  few  of  them  had  not  been  trained 
formally  in  the  schools,  but  they  were,  al- 
most without  exception,  much  indebted  to 
books,  and  were  none  the  less  educated. 


THE    "SCALAWAG    CLASS."  185 

"  Let  none  think  that  educated  people 
are  impractical  because  they  meet  a  few 
memory-gorged  weaklings  whose  wills  are 
enfeebled,  hands  palsied,  and  hearts  with- 
ered. These  are  mere  dyspeptics,  bur- 
dened with  unassimilated  facts,  which, 
if  taken  more  moderately  and  used  more 
freely,  would  have  made  them  strong  and 
capable. 

"  Fellow  teachers,  be  not  in  a  hurry. 
Teach  so  that  what  is  learned  may  be 
forthwith  applied.  One  thought  which 
becomes  a  conviction  is  worth  a  thousand 
which  the  possessor  always  regards  as 
another's." 

When  the  Superintendent  sat  down,  old 
Professor  Gordon  arose  to  emphasize 
the  remarks,  and  to  "  add  a  thought  or 
two." 

"  Pestalozzi  was  right,"  said  he,  "when 
he  wrote,  '  It  is  life  that  educates/  A 
teacher  who  can  cause  a  pupil  to  live  for 
the  time  a  new  life,  more  thoughtful,  more 


186  the;  little;  schoolmistress 

refined,  higher  and  better  than  he  would 
out  of  school,  is  educating  him.  Any  pre- 
tense at  teaching  which  involves  activity 
on  the  part  of  the  teacher  only  and  makes 
of  the  pupil  a  supposed  '  passive  recipient/ 
is  not  teaching  at  all.  The  pupil  who  be- 
comes passive  ceases  to  be  a  recipient. 
Learning  is  an  act  of  the  pupil's  own 
mind.  What  if  he  learns  slowlv?  He 
is  making  progress  so  long  as  he  learns 
at  all.  Ye  who  rush  and  bluster  and  fret 
and  scold,  truly  are  hard  masters.  The 
gentle  sunshine  of  spring  and  the  April 
showers  make  the  seed  unfold  which  the 
summer  heat  would  blast. 

"  Fellow  teachers,  I  suggest  that  you 
take  Jesus  Christ  as  your  ideal;  study 
Him  as  a  teacher;  analyze  His  methods; 
note  how  gentle  He  was,  how  practical 
His  illustrations,  and  how  systematic  He 
was,  as  in  feeding  the  multitudes;  ob- 
serve, too,  how  patiently  He  walked  and 
talked  with  His  apostles;  how    He    ex- 


THE)    "SCALAWAG    CLASS."  187 

plained  things  to  them;  how,  little  by  lit- 
tle, through  three  years  of  personal  asso- 
ciation, He  taught  them  His  doctrines, 
and  how,  even  at  the  end  of  His  ministry, 
they  were  yet  unable  to  understand  in  the 
least  some  of  His  most  obvious -teachings, 
for  example,  the  '  kingdom  not  of  this 
world/  Observe  further  that  little  by 
little  they  developed,  even  after  His  death, 
into  men  capable  indeed  of  fulfilling  His 
purposes,  which  required  the  genius  of 
world  leaders  and  the  courage  of  martyrs. 
I  have  no  doubt  that  if  some  modern  edu- 
cators were  set  to  such  a  task  as  Jesus 
performed  in  training  His  special  envoys, 
they  would  think  it  sufficient  to  arrange 
a  summer  course  of  lectures,  and  provide 
for  all  matters  of  consequence  to  be  ex- 
plained once  for  all,  as  briefly  as  possible. 
"  There  is  another  fact  to  which  I  wish 
to  call  your  attention,"  said  he,  after  a 
brief  pause.  "  To  inspire  pupils  with  an 
ardent  desire  for  all  that  is  good,  beauti- 


188  THE   LITTLE    SCHOOLMISTRESS 

ful,  and  useful  in  life,  is  the  highest  ser- 
vice that  a  teacher  can  render.  Now  how 
is  this  to  be  done  ?  Let  us  see.  Men  kin- 
dle a  fire  by  means  of  a  flaming  match  or 
a  live  coal.  But  how  can  any  one  inspire 
others  if  he  is  what  Carlyle  called  some  of 
his  teachers  —  *  a  dead  grammatical  cin- 
der '  ? 

"  Fellow  teachers,  it  is  your  duty  to  re- 
kindle your  zeal  daily  by  the  help  of  the 
world's  greatest  and  best  characters,  who 
are  always  accessible  through  the  medium 
of  books.  Likewise  cultivate  an  intimate 
acquaintance  with  the  very  best  people 
within  reach  of  you  in  other  walks  of 
life  as  well  as  your  own.  No  man  liveth 
to  himself.  To  attempt  to  do  so  is  suici- 
dal, intellectually  and  spiritually  at  least." 

A  recess  of  twenty  minutes  passed 
seemingly  in  ten.  Before  resuming  the 
discussions,  the  entire  assemblage  of 
teachers  and  visitors,  under  the  leader- 


THE    "SCALAWAG    CLASS."  189 

ship  of  Professor  Rich,  sang  several  fa- 
miliar songs. 

When  Professor  Wallace,  a  stranger  to 
most  of  those  present,  arose  to  discuss  the 
subject  of  history,  some  suppressed  sighs 
and  frowns  indicated  to  the  Superintend- 
ent that  a  few  at  least  were  expecting 
to  be  bored  by  a  very  dry  lecture.  How- 
ever, an  hour  later,  when  the  Professor 
halted  in  his  historical  discourse  to  make 
some  observations  on  right  methods  of 
teaching  the  subject,  the  audience  was 
still  intensely  interested.  The  reason  was 
that  he  had  not  been  telling  them  about 
history,  but  through  a  full  knowledge  of 
well-assimilated  facts  had  been  making 
historical  truths  plainer  to  them  than  they 
had  ever  seen  them  before.  The  charac- 
ters seemed  (to  many  of  them  for  the  first 
time)  to  be  real  people,  the  maps  to  rep- 
resent real  countries,  and  the  events  to 
have  logical  causes  and  inevitable  conse- 
quences. 


190  THE   LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

"  A  skeleton,"  said  the  Professor, 
"  would  be  a  rather  poor  means  with 
which  to  begin  teaching  the  child  the  word 
'  cat/  and  the  skeleton  of  history,  a  mere 
catalogue  of  dates  and  events,  serves  us 
no  better  historically.  Use  simple  stories 
first,  then  more  extensive  biographies. 
Correlate  what  the  book  says  with  the  ex- 
perience of  well-known  people.  Let  the 
scenes  be  imagined  vividly.  Weigh  the 
facts;  emphasize  the  main  ones  and  sub- 
ordinate the  unimportant.  Have  the  les- 
sons retold  orally  or  have  them  written. 
These  are  a  few  suggestive  terms. 

"  Furthermore,  let  the  pupil  learn  that 
only  truth  is  history.  Teach  them  to  ab- 
hor the  practice,  so  common,  of  formulat- 
ing a  theory  or  accepting  a  prejudice,  and 
then  setting  out  to  find  proof  to  sustain 
the  assumption  in  argument." 

The  noon  recess  was  a  picnic  with  good 
fellowship  and  good  things  to  eat  in 
abundance. 


THE    "SCALAWAG    CLASS."  191 

During  the  afternoon  several  sharp  con- 
troversies arose,  which  greatly  enhanced 
the  interest,  and  resulted  usually  in  a 
clearer  understanding  of  the  truth  in- 
volved, though  now  and  then  to  the 
embarrassment  of  some  aggressive  en- 
thusiast. 

Mr.  Green  discussed  methods  of  secur- 
ing study.  During  the  course  of  his  re- 
marks he  described  a  long  list  of  devices 
which  appeal  either  to  selfishness  and 
vanity  or  to  such  base  motives  as 
shame  and  fear.  At  the  conclusion  of 
Mr.  Green's  remarks,  Miss  Porter,  a 
teacher  of  limited  attainments  but  long 
experience,  arose  with  an  air  of  impor- 
tance and  said: — 

"  I  have  tried  'most  all  of  these  methods 
myself.  Sometimes  they  will  work  and 
sometimes  they  won't,  but  there  is  one 
that  never  fails  if  used  properly,  and  that 
is  keepin'  them  in.  If  you  will  just  keep 
them  in  long  enough  without  their  dinner, 

13 


192  THE   UTTLE    SCHOOLMISTRESS 

they'll  learn  any  lesson  you  give  them.  I 
have  seen  some  of  them  get  mighty  stub- 
born and  make  out  they  could  n't  learn  a 
spelling  lesson  or  the  definitions  of  the 
moods,  but  when  they  get  stubborn,  I  get 
stubborn  too." 

"  Do  you  ever  have  any  stop  coming 
to  school  because  you  keep  them  in,  Miss 
Porter  ?  "  asked  some  one. 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  have  had  a  great  many  stop 
school,  but  I  have  always  done  my  duty 
by  them  just  the  same  as  long  as  they 
were  in  school." 

Mr.  Lyons,  who  had  been  restless  in 
his  seat  while  Miss  Porter  was  speaking, 
arose  hastily  and  said  with  much  empha- 
sis:— 

"  You  may  talk  about  your  moral  sua- 
sion, your  higher  incentives,  and  keepin' 
'em  in  as  much  as  you  please,  but  nothing 
else  is  as  good  as  a  thrashin'  now  and 
then.  If  necessary  I  thrash  a  whole  class 
at  once.    I  had  a  class  not  long  ago  that 


THE    "SCALAWAG    CLASS."  198 

kept  comin'  up  with  bad  lessons,  and  I 
thrashed  eight  of  'em  at  once.  That  will 
make  'em  study  when  nothing  else  will." 

Mr.  Lyons  had  scarcely  stopped  speak- 
ing when  Mr.  James  R.  Blucher,  a  young 
man  who  was  teaching  as  a  stepping- 
stone  to  the  profession  of  law,  and  enjoyed 
any  opportunity  to  exercise  his  oratorical 
powers,  obtained  the  floor.  He  thrust 
his  fingers  through  his  hair,  then  his 
thumbs  into  the  arm-holes  of  his  vest, 
squared  himself  on  his  feet,  and  said  with 
gusto : — 

"  There  are  objections  to  all  the  meth- 
ods that  have  been  proposed,  but  I  have 
one  of  my  own  which  I  have  tried  and  find 
very  satisfactory.  I  say  '  my  own '  be- 
cause I'm  pretty  sure  it  is  original.  It 
works  like  a  charm.  I  refer  to  my  '  scalla- 
wag  class.'  I  put  all  those  who  don't  have 
good  lessons  into  this  class.  They  have  to 
sit  to  themselves  all  the  time,  and  recite 
after  the  rest  of  the  school  have  finished. 


194  THE   UTTEE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

Some  of  them  would  rather  die  than  go 
into  that  class,  but  you  may  depend  on 
it,  whatever  I  say  goes.  They  've  got  to 
mind  me  or  quit  school.  Ha!  ha!  You 
bet  it  ain't  a  popular  class !  " 

"  Do  any  of  them  ever  quit  school  on 
this  account  ?  "  inquired  a  pleasant  voice. 

"  Yes,  one  did  not  long  ago,"  said  he. 
"  There  was  a  big  girl  in  school  who 
missed  three  words  in  the  dictionary  les- 
son, and  I  ordered  her  to  the  scallawag 
class.  She  began  to  cry,  and  hesitated. 
Of  course,  I  felt  sorry  for  her,  but  I  told 
her  she  would  have  to  go." 

"And  did  she  go?  "  inquired  the  pleas- 
ant voice. 

"  Of  course  she  did,  or  there  would  have 
been  trouble  in  the  camp  sure  enough." 

"About  how  old  is  she?  " 

"  Oh,  sixteen  or  seventeen,  I  guess, 
may  be  older." 

"And  are  you  familiar  with  her  circum- 
stances? " 


THE    "SCALAWAG    CLASS."  195 

"  No ;  I  really  prefer  not  to  be.  Cir- 
cumstances don't  cut  any  rigger  with  me. 
I  treat  'em  all  alike.  But  as  you  've  asked 
me,  I  will  state  that  she  lives  with  the 
wealthiest  family  in  the  community  in  a 
big  white  house  about  a  mile  from  school." 

The  person  who  had  asked  the  ques- 
tions of  Mr.  Blucher  was  Miss  Nancy 
Jackson,  a  woman  probably  forty  years 
of  age  who  had  raised  two  younger  broth- 
ers and  taught  many  schools.  Her  rule 
was  to  be  seen  and  not  heard  in  the  teach- 
ers' meetings,  but  she  rose  as  Mr.  Blucher 
sat  down  and  with  evidences  of  deep  feel- 
ing said: — 

"  Fellow  teachers,  I  know  the  circum- 
stances of  the  girl  who  lives  in  the  big 
white  house.  She  is  there  working  nights 
and  mornings  for  her  board,  that  she  may 
go  to  school.  And  '  working  '  in  that  fam- 
ily means  work  indeed.  I  know  the  people 
well.  She  certainly  has  little  time  to  study 
at  home. 


196  THE   LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

"  But  this  is  not  all  the  story. 

"  She  is  an  orphan, —  the  oldest  of  four, 
Her  mother  was  a  noble  woman,  but  she 
died  when  this  girl  was  thirteen  years  old. 
From  her  mother's  death  until  last  May, 
when  her  father  married  again,  this  girl 
was  a  devoted  little  mother  to  the  three 
younger  children,  and  housekeeper  for 
her  rather  rough  and  improvident  father. 
When  her  father  married  again,  he  '  scat- 
tered the  children  out '  to  live  with  other 
people.  This  girl  you  speak  of  was  fairly 
heart  broken.  She  soon  resolved,  how- 
ever, to  go  to  school  if  possible,  and  be- 
come a  teacher,  or  get  other  employment 
so  that  she  could  re-establish  the  home 
and  provide  for  her  unfortunate  little 
brothers  and  sister. 

"  Last  July  she  picked  berries  by  the 
bushel,  and  with  money  thus  earned  she 
bought  clothes  and  books  for  herself  and 
clothes  for  the  little  ones. 


THE    "SCALAWAG    CLASS."  197 

"  Now,  solemnly,  let  me  ask,  Are  these 
the  acts  of  a  scallawag?" 

Miss  Wise,  to  whom  we  have  once  or 
twice  referred  as  Helen's  favorite  teacher, 
arose  quietly  and  said: — 

"  Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and  Gentle- 
men: The  young  lady  who  left  school  to 
keep  out  of  the  '  scallawag  class/  needed 
help.  The  door  of  hope  should  not  have 
been  shut  in  her  face  on  so  slight 
provocation.  By  abandoning  school  she 
seems  to  be  resigning  herself  to  a  life  of 
ignorance,  while,  if  properly  encouraged 
and  treated  with  sympathy,  she  would 
have  pursued  her  studies  with  delight, 
and  probably  loved  her  teacher  as  only  an 
admiring  pupil  can  love,  fitting  herself 
for  a  noble,  happy,  and  useful  life.  We 
must  regard  individual  conditions  or  do 
great  injustice. 

"  I  think  we  need  a  Bill  of  Rights  for 
our  schools  as  well  as  for  our  civic  institu- 
tions.   With  the  utmost  respect  for  those 


198  THE   LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

who  have  spoken,  I  feel  constrained  to  say 
that  most  of  the  punishments  discussed 
this  afternoon  are  not  only  '  cruel  and  un- 
usual,' but  unnatural,  unnecessary,  and  un- 
just. I  have  no  doubt  that  many  of  the 
pupils  who  gave  these  teachers  trouble  by 
their  poor  lessons  were  in  some  way  ex- 
cusable. 

"  I  have  no  more  difficulty  in  getting  my 
pupils  to  study  than  my  sister  has  in  get- 
ting her  children  to  eat.  With  your  pu- 
pils classified  properly,  there  are  yet  many 
difficulties  which  prevent  them  from  study- 
ing at  home,  such  as  the  lack  of  books, 
unfavorable  family  conditions,  and  de- 
mands upon  their  time. 

"  Let  us  not  forget  that  fear  paralyzes 
and  that  love  stimulates.  One  who 
considers  himself  in  imminent  danger, 
whether  he  be  a  child  at  school  or  a  man 
on  the  field  of  battle,  is  thereby  unfitted 
for  duty;  but  he  who  forgets  himself 
under    inspiring    leadership,    while    sur- 


THE    "  SCALAWAG    CLASS."  199 

rounded  by  enthusiastic  companions,  feels 
that  all  things  are  possible. 

"  Fellow  teachers,  pardon  my  frank- 
ness, I  do  not  speak  thus  to  wound  the 
sensibilities  of  those  who  have  spoken. 
They  have  told  us  honestly  of  plans  which 
they  think  valuable,  and  I  tell  you  just  as 
honestly  that  there  is  a  better  way.  I 
have  seen  both  tried.  Love  is  the  watch- 
word for  the  teacher.  Love  is  kind,  sym- 
pathetic, considerate.  Love  would  never 
suggest  an  opprobrious  epithet,  a  scalla- 
wag  class,  nor  any  other  degrading  mode 
of  punishment. 

"  Fellow  teachers,  if  you  would  deter- 
mine whether  the  means  which  you  em- 
ploy to  secure  study  are  true  or  false,  ask 
yourself  the  question,  'Are  they  natural 
or  artificial  ?  '  If  natural,  they  are  apt  to 
be  proper ;  if  artificial,  they  are  generally 
improper.  At  best,  artificial  means  are 
justifiable  only  as  temporary  expedients. 
A  parent  might  justly  coax,  persuade,  hire, 


200  the:  uttle  schoolmistress 

or  even  compel  a  child  to  taste  some  partic- 
ular food  against  which  he  had  conceived 
a  prejudice,  but  the  food  itself  affords 
the  natural  incentive  for  him  to  con- 
tinue eating  it.  Knowledge,  the  delights 
of  acquiring  it,  and  the  advantages  which 
result  from  its  possession  and  use,  are  the 
main  natural  incentives  to  study.  If  your 
pupils  in  the  past  have  not  relished  the 
mildewed  crusts  that  you  have  given  them, 
see  how  they  would  like  fresh,  sweet  milk, 
hot  cakes,  homemade  butter,  and  maple 
syrup  in  moderate  quantities,  with  plenty 
of  time  for  the  eating." 

The  generous  applause  which  followed 
showed  that  the  force  of  these  remarks 
was  appreciated. 

After  a  recess  of  a  few  minutes  the 
query  box  was  opened.  Most  of  the  ques- 
tions raised  were  unimportant,  to  be  sure, 
but  some  should  be  noticed,  not  because 
they  were  new,  but  because  they  related  to 


THE:   "  SCALAWAG   CLASS  "  201 

errors  which  should  not  longer  be  com- 
mitted. 

One  inquiry  addressed  to  Miss  Wise 
was,  "  Do  you  approve  of  the  self-report- 
ing system  ?  "  to  which  she  very  promptly 
replied,  "  No.  It  fails  utterly  as  a  means 
of  discipline,  and  invariably  leads  to  pre- 
varication." 

Another  addressed  to  Professor  Gor- 
don was,  "  What  is  your  opinion  of  the 
monitorial  system  ?  " 

"  If  I  understand  the  question  rightly," 
said  Professor  Gordon,  "  it  refers  to  a 
practice  which  has  been  so  long  discarded 
by  good  teachers  that  I  had  almost  for- 
gotten it.  I  presume,  however,  that  the 
person  who  asked  the  question  has  in 
mind  the  plan  once  quite  common  of  ap- 
pointing certain  pupils,  even  secretly,  to 
act  as  spies  to  report  on  the  conduct  of 
the  other  children.  The  plan  is  absurd. 
He  who  adopts  it  manifests  a  suspicious 
disposition  to  begin  with,  and  divides  his 


202  THE   LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

school,  whether  temporarily  or  perma- 
nently, into  opposing  classes.  He  shows 
that  he  expects  misconduct,  and  he  is  not 
likely  to  be  disappointed.  No  one  was 
ever  made  more  noble,  truthful,  or  loyal 
through  the  agency  of  spies.  The  great- 
est result  to  be  aimed  at  in  school  is  char- 
acter. Moral  character  is  developed 
through  the  exercise  of  moral  qualities, 
and  not  by  evading  the  spy.  If  a  pupil 
is  made  to  feel  that  he  is  trusted  and  ex- 
pected to  act  nobly,  he  will  probably  do 
so,  and  in  doing  so  will  form  habits  of 
truthfulness  and  honor.  And  to  trust  pu- 
pils does  not  imply  a  winking  at  miscon- 
duct and  a  supercilious  habit  of  talking 
continually  about  the  matter.  It  merely 
means  frankly  and  honestly  treating  them 
as  you  would  like  to  be  treated  yourself." 

The  county  Superintendent,  who  was 
presiding,  looked  at  his  watch. 

"  Before  we  adjourn,"  he  said,  "  I  hope 
we  may  be  favored  with  some  remarks 


THE  "SCALAWAG  CLASS"  203 

from  one  of  our  youngest  teachers,  with 
whose  work  I  have  been  much  pleased. 
Miss  Smith,  you  may  now  have  the  floor." 

Helen  arose  in  her  place,  and  after  a 
little  hesitation  said :  "  I  thank  you  for  the 
kind  introduction  you  have  given  me,  but 
I  feel  that  I  am  not  competent  to  speak 
before  this  body.  I  am  young,  and  have 
had  but  little  experience.  I  have  taught 
only  a  part  of  one  term.  However,  in 
that  I  have  found  much  pleasure.  I  have 
not  been  troubled  much  with  disorder, 
and  the  pupils  study  as  diligently  as  I 
would  have  them.  I  have  exceptionally 
good  children,  and  that,  perhaps,  accounts 
for  my  freedom  from  the  annoyances  to 
which  my  fellow  teachers  here  have  been 
subjected. 

"  I  thank  you." 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

THANKSGIVING  DAY 

^THANKSGIVING  DAY  was  appro- 
priately observed  by  Helen,  though 
strictly  speaking  such  a  thing  had  never 
been  done  before  in  the  history  of  the 
Shady  Grove  school.  We  might,  however, 
to  be  exactly  correct,  admit  that  on  two  or 
three  previous  occasions  the  teacher  had 
adjourned  quite  unceremoniously  with  lit- 
tle or  no'  further  explanation  than  simply 
saying  to  the  school  on  Wednesday  after- 
noon :  "  To-morrow  is  a  holiday.  I  guess 
you  would  all  like  to  have  a  little  rest, 
and  so  would  I.  As  it  would  hardly  pay 
us  to  come  back  just  for  Friday,  we  will 
have  no  more  school  until  Monday." 

Helen  became  impressed  in  some  way 
with  a  feeling  that  a  holiday  has  a  purpose, 
and  that  it  is  right  and  proper  to  observe 
it  in  accordance  therewith.  She  examined 
her  file  of  journals,  consulted  her  fellow 
teachers  at  the  Institute,  and  asked  advice 

(204) 


THANKSGIVING    DAY  205 

of  Miss  Wise.  Meanwhile  she  did  some 
thinking  herself. 

"  To  make  Thanksgiving  Day  really 
what  it  should  be,  these  children  must  be 
made  acquainted  with  its  history  and  sig- 
nificance," thought  she.  "  To  do  this 
well  I  must  know  something  more  about 
it  myself." 

Thereupon  she  wrote  an  order  for  a 
pamphlet  entitled  "  Suggestions  for 
Thanksgiving  Exercises  "  which  cost  her 
only  ten  cents.  This  was  a  month  before 
the  occasion.  The  book  soon  came,  and 
little  by  little,  day  by  day,  the  children 
learned  about  all  that  intelligent  people 
need  care  to  know  about  Thanksgiving 
Day.  When  the  proclamations  were  is- 
sued by  the  President  and  the  Governor, 
the  school  was  ready  for  them.  Oh,  what 
a  good  lesson  in  civil  government  they  had 
the  morning  that  one  of  the  children 
brought  the  first  paper  containing  these 
proclamations ! 


206  THE   LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

On  Tuesday  before  Thanksgiving  Helen 
produced  a  package  of  note  paper  and  en- 
velopes. 

"  I  would  like  to  have  your  parents  at 
our  exercises  Thursday/'  she  announced. 
"  As  I  am  busy  with  other  things,  I  will 
request  the  most  advanced  class  to  write 
the  invitations  for  me." 

Having  instructed  them  as  to  the  proper 
form,  she  proceeded  with  her  work,  while 
each  member  of  the  class  strove  to  produce 
invitations  neat  and  correct  in  every  par- 
ticular. 

To  one  unfamiliar  with  what  was  going 
on  the  children  on  their  way  to  the  Shady 
Grove  school  Wednesday  morning  might 
have  been  mistaken  for  a  procession  ad- 
vertising the  agricultural  and  horticultu- 
ral products  of  the  neighborhood.  They 
had  pumpkins,  corn  with  the  shucks  on, 
apples,  potatoes,  etc.  One  boy  carried  a 
neat  paper  roll,  a  magazine  supplement, 
which  he  guarded  carefully  from  those 


THANKSGIVING    DAY  207 

who  feigned  a  desire  to  snatch  it  from 
him.  As  he  darted  hither  and  thither,  he 
shouted  gleefully,  "  Oh,  get  away,  and  let 
my  turkey  alone." 

The  lessons  were  recited  as  usual,  and 
the  day's  work  was  done  an  hour  before 
time  for  dismissal.  Then  the  house  was 
decorated  and  left  securely  closed  to  await 
the  arrival  of  the  visitors  on  the  following 
day. 

On  Thanksgiving  morning  the  air  was 
crisp  and  the  sky  clear.  The  children 
came  to  school  even  earlier  than  usual, 
dressed  in  their  "  Sunday  clothes,"  and  as 
happy  as  a  flock  of  birds.  Helen  was  there 
quite  as  early  as  the  rest,  but  made  no 
haste  to  begin.  She  laughed  and  talked 
with  the  children,  met  the  visitors,  and 
passed  the  time  pleasantly  until  she  felt 
sure  that  nearly  or  quite  all  who  would 
come  had  arrived,  though  she  was  careful 
not  to  overtax  the  patience  of  the  visitors 
by  waiting  too  long.     The  program  was 

14 


208  THIS   UTTI,E   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

good  from  beginning  to  end.  Every 
mother  present  saw  her  child  actually  en- 
joy the  day,  for  each  had  a  part  of  his 
own  to  perform,  and  understood  his  duties. 
There  were  Scripture  lessons,  songs,  quo- 
tations, recitations,  and  essays,  though 
no  formal  essays  were  mentioned.  When 
the  children  had  finished,  Helen  stood 
before  the  school  with  sparkling  eyes 
and  a  pleasant  smile.  The  pupils  were 
intensely  attentive;  so  were  the  grown 
people.  Neither  had  had  any  intimation 
that  she  would  take  part,  but  they  had 
learned  to  anticipate  agreeable  surprises 
on  any  occasion. 

"  The  way  for  us  to  be  happy  easily," 
she  said,  "  is  to  compare  what  we  have 
with  what  we  really  deserve,  rather  than 
what  we  may  desire.  Thus  may  we  see 
how  bountifully  we  are  blessed. 

"  I  heard  a  lazy  fellow  once  say,  as  an 
excuse  for  his  laziness,  '  The  world  owes 
every  man  a  living,  and  I'm  no  exception/ 


THANKSGIVING    DAY  209 

Let's  see  if  that  is  true.  When  do  we  owe 
people  ?  " 

"  When  they've  done  something  for  us," 
interrupted  Charlie. 

"  And  is  it  not  just  so  with  the  world?  " 
said  she,  not  the  least  disturbed.  "  We  are 
all  young  and  have  done  very  little  for  the 
world,  but  have  received  a  great  deal  from 
it.  We  have  liberty;  other  people  pur- 
chased it  for  us  at  the  cost  of  their  lives. 
We  can  read  the  Bible  and  worship  God 
as  we  please;  others  as  good  as  we,  were 
driven  from  their  homes  and  country,  slain 
in  battle,  or  burned  to  death  because  they 
sought  this  privilege.  Our  country  is  at 
peace,  but  the  peace  that  we  enjoy  cost 
our  ancestors  many  precious  lives  and 
great  suffering.  We  have  food  in  abun- 
dance, but  we  have  it  because  other  people 
drove  out  the  Indians,  cut  down  the  for- 
ests, and  prepared  the  fields.  We  have 
good  warm  clothes;  but  other  people 
produced  the  wool  and  the  cotton  and  did 


210  THE  LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

most,  if  not  all,  the  work  of  making  the 
clothes  for  us.  We  have  houses  to  live  in, 
though  few,  if  any  of  us,  have  helped  to 
build  even  our  own  houses.  Thus  we 
might  enumerate  a  thousand  things  which 
we  have  for  which  we  are  really  indebted 
to  the  world. 

"  Let  us  realize,  too,  that  while  we  are 
so  richly  blessed,  there  are  many  others 
less  fortunate  than  ourselves ;  some  in  our 
own  land  and  others  in  distant  parts  of 
the  world.  There  are  yet  countries  in 
which  the  rulers  are  cruel  to  the  people, 
and  take  away  perhaps  half  of  all  they  pro- 
duce for  taxes,  and  yet  give  them  nothing 
in  return.  There  are  a  few  countries  in 
which  people  are  persecuted  if  they  read 
the  Holy  Scriptures  or  belong  to  a  Chris- 
tian church. 

"Are  n't  you  glad  you  live  in  this  great 
country  of  ours,  where  you  can  be  free  and 
get  the  benefit  of  your  own  labor  ?  Really, 
children,  we  have  the  greatest  country  in 


THANKSGIVING    DAY  211 

the  world,  and  thousands  of  poor  people 
in  far-away  lands  would  give  all  they 
have,  merely  to  get  to  America. 

"  This  flag,"  she  continued,  as  she  un- 
furled the  stars  and  stripes  before  them, 
"  is  the  emblem  of  our  country.  Let  us 
love  it  and,  if  necessary,  die  for  it.  Can't 
you  join  me  heartily  in  this  salute  which 
I  have  prepared  especially  for  you  to-day  ? 

"  Dear  flag  of  my  country, 

Wherever  I  be, 
In  peace  or  in  war, 

On  land  or  on  sea, 
I  pledge   thee   forever 

True  loyalty. 

"  Don't  you  think  we  owe  much  more 
to  the  world  than  the  world  owes  to  us? 
Indeed  we  do,  and  we  can  pay  this  debt 
more  fully  if  we  qualify  ourselves  to  live 
capable  and  useful  lives  than  if  we  remain 
ignorant.  Away  with  ignorance!  Away 
with  selfishness !  •  Give  to  the  world  the 
best  you  have,  and  the  best  shall  come 
back  to  you/  " 


CHAPTER  XXX 

BURTON'S  SECOND  SCHEME 
3|N  the  latter  part  of  November,  Helen 
made  a  visit  home,  which  afforded 
her  and  her  mother  obvious  pleasure. 
Mrs.  Smith's  health  had  become  compara- 
tively good.  Her  business  affairs  were  in 
better  condition  than  before,  with  one  ex- 
ception. Old  Mr.  Burton,  who  had  been 
disappointed  in  his  efforts  to  get  the  Smith 
farm  at  a  sacrifice,  had  studiously  sought 
an  opportunity  for  revenge.  He  knew  that 
the  school  warrants  on  the  county  would 
not  be  at  par  until  January  or  February; 
therefore  he  was  secretly  delighted  when, 
"  to  accommodate  a  fellow,"  he  bought 
a  note  for  sixty  dollars  given  by  Helen's 
father  shortly  before  his  death,  and  which 
was  now  due.  Mrs.  Smith  was  just  telling 
Helen  of  Mr.  Burton's  importunate  visit 
on  the  day  before,  when  they  saw  him 
coming  up  the  walk  again. 

"  Don't  be  uneasy,  mother,"  said  Helen. 

<212) 


BURTON'S    SECOND    SCHEME  213 

"  He  will  not  sue  us,  nor  will  I  have  to 
sacrifice  my  school  warrants." 

Helen  answered  the  loud  raps  at  the 
door  with  a  very  polite,  "  Good  morning, 
Mr.  Burton.  Come  in  and  warm.  The 
fire  feels  good  this  morning." 

"No,  I  ain't  got  time,"  said  he.  "I 
just  stopped  to  see  your  mother  a  minute." 

"  Do  you  wish  to  speak  to  her  about  that 
note?" 

"  Yes.  I  need  the  money  mighty  bad, 
and  if  she  ain't  got  it,  I  think  I  could  use 
some  of  your  school  warrants  to  pay  my 
taxes  with,  and  get  along  without  the 
cash." 

"What  could  you  allow  me  for  them, 
Mr.  Burton?" 

"  Wall,  they  ain't  a  givin'  much  for 
'em  now,  for  the  county  's  behind.  The 
Trustee  has  paid  out  all  he  got  from  the 
State  long  ago,  and  says  he  won't  get 
any  more  tell  after  Chris'mus,  an'  he  ain't 
a  collectin'  any  hardly  yet.     But  bein'  as 


214  THE   LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

it's  you  and  considerin'  the  circumstances, 
I  will  take  'em  at  eighty-five  cents." 

"  How  soon  will  you  be  obliged  to  have 
a  settlement,  Mr.  Burton?" 

"  Well,  I  am  nearly  obleeged  to  have  it 
to-day." 

"  Then  come  back  at  6  o'clock  this  even- 
ing, and  probably  I  will  have  the  money 
for  you." 

Despite  the  man's  studied  habit  of  sto- 
icism, a  look  of  disappointment  came  over 
his  face,  and  he  said:  "All  right.  Good 
mornin'. 

"  Mother,"  said  Helen,  "  I  do  not  intend 
that  we  shall  be  robbed  in  this  way. 
Money  is  worth  only  six  per  cent,  per 
annum,  and  there  is  not  the  least  doubt 
but  that  the  county  trustee  will  pay  these 
warrants  within  three  months.  If  you 
will  let  me  go  to  town  this  morning,  I  will 
see  what  can  be  done." 

Having  full  confidence  in  Helen's  judg- 
ment, it  was  less  than  two  hours  before 


BURTON'S    SECOND    SCHEME  215 

she  was  interviewing  some  of  their  most 
trusted  friends. 

"What  I  want  to  do,"  she  explained 
to  Captain  Price,  "  is  to  borrow  $60,  and 
let  you  hold  these  warrants  as  collateral." 

"  That  will  be  satisfactory,"  said  the 
well-to-do  merchant,  "  and  as  you  are 
young,  I  will  call  your  attention  to  the  ad- 
vantage there  is  in  using  your  warrants 
as  collateral  over  discounting  them  in  the 
usual  way.  The  banks  at  present  are  pay- 
ing 90  per  cent,  for  them.  You  pay  me 
only  six  per  cent,  per  annum  for  about 
three  months.  Therefore,  your  money 
will  cost  you  only  one  and  one  half  per 
cent." 

Before  Mrs.  Smith's  dinner  was  cold, 
Helen  came  skipping  into  the  hall  in  a 
manner  that  foretold  her  success.  While 
they  were  eating,  Mrs.  Smith  looked 
across  the  table  at  her  children,  and  with 
considerable  emotion  said: — 

"  Well,  Helen,  there  is  one  thing  yet 


216  THE   UTTU2   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

which  distresses  me  very  much.  These 
poor  little  children  have  really  no  opportu- 
nity to  get  an  education.  You  know  what 
a  help  your  father  was  to  you,  but  now  he 
is  gone.  You  know,  too,  how  greatly 
benefited  you  were  when  you  went  to  Miss 
Wise,  but  we  could  not  afford  to  send 
either  of  them  away  from  home  to  school 
now,  even  if  they  were  old  enough.  I 
guess  that  Miss  Scruggs  did  the  best 
she  could,  but  the  poor  girl  made  a  miser- 
able failure.  The  children  behaved  so 
badly  that  I  could  not  afford  to  let  Annie 
go  longer  and  associate  with  them,  es- 
pecially when  she  was  learning  so  little. 
For  this  reason  I  have  kept  her  at  home 
nearly  a  month.  The  school  kept  dwind- 
ling until  at  the  close  yesterday,  I  under- 
stand they  had  only  six,  four  of  whom 
were  the  Jones  children,  and  even  they 
have  been  irregular.  The  school  here 
pays  enough  to  get  a  fairly  good  teacher 
if  the  directors  would  select  one  on  merit. 


BURTON'S    SECOND    SCHEME  217 

I  should  be  so  glad  to  have  you  teach  it 
next  year,  and  be  at  home  with  me  and  the 
children,  but  that  is  out  of  the  question. 
Your  Uncle  George  talked  with  Mr.  Jones 
a  few  days  ago,  but  he  could  plainly  see 
that  there  was  no  chance  for  you.  Mr. 
Jones  argued  just  as  he  did  last  year,  and 
evidently  has  some  selfish  scheme  in  his 
mind  again." 

"  Well,  mother,  I'll  tell  you  what  I  want 
you  to  do.  Perhaps  it  is  a  bold  proposition, 
but  boldness  is  often  necessary  to  success." 

"What  is  it,  Helen?" 

"  Suppose  you  lease  the  farm  to  some 
reliable  man,  rent  a  good  house  in  town, 
and  keep  boarders.  If  I  were  to  go  to 
school  in  the  spring,  I  could  teach 
again  next  fall,  and  possibly  get  better 
pay.  Miss  Wise  is  teaching  in  the  Semi- 
nary now.  I  can  yet  save  enough  of  my 
salary  to  pay  my  tuition  and  get  some 
plain  clothes,  and  should  I  go  to  school,  I 
could    still    help    considerably    at    home 


218  THE   LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

nights  and  mornings.  I  have  learned  just 
enough  to  know  that  I  am  ignorant.  I 
have  tasted  knowledge,  and  have  found 
that  it  is  good.  If  I  can  improve  my 
education,  I  can  probably  fill  a  place  some 
day  that  will  pay  me  well,  that  will  enable 
me  to  be  very  useful  and  happy,  and  pos- 
sibly make  you  feel  proud  of  me." 

The  discussion  lasted  a  long  time.  The 
difficulties  were  so  great,  however,  that 
no  decision  was  reached. 

That  evening  as  they  sat  by  the  fire 
Helen  took  up  her  mother's  work  basket, 
and  happened  to  notice  in  it  a  large  square 
envelope  addressed  to  herself. 

"  What  is  this,  mother  ?  "  said  she. 

"  Oh,  it  is  an  invitation  of  some  kind 
that  I  forgot  to  give  you.  It  has  been 
here  for  a  week  or  two." 

Helen  tore  off  the  outer  envelope,  and 
drew  forth  from  the  inner  one  what 
proved  to  be  an  invitation  to  an  intersoci- 


BURTON'S    SECOND    SCHEME  219 

ety  debate  on  the  evening  of  Thanksgiv- 
ing at  the  University  of  Virginia. 

A  flush  like  the  dawn  glowed  on  Helen's 
cheeks  as  she  observed  a  slight  check  mark 
calling  attention  to  the  name  of  William 
Rutherford,  the  representative  of  the  Jef- 
ferson Literary  Society. 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

PLANNING  THE  CLOSING  EXERCISES 
0\N  the  Monday  following  Helen's  visit 
home  recorded  in  the  preceding  chap- 
ter, she  began  to  consider  seriously  what 
kind  of  entertainment  she  would  have  as 
a  fitting  close  to  her  school.  Had  her 
thoughts  during  the  next  week  or  two  been 
audible,  one  might  have  heard  her  say :  — 
"  Most  of  the  public  oral  examinations 
that  I  have  witnessed  were  hypocritical 
shows,  which  deceived  the  children,  the 
public,  and  even  the  teacher  who  conducted 
them.  They  were  in  the  true  sense  no 
test  at  all  of  the  work  that  had  been  ac- 
complished. In  the  '  exhibitions  '  that  we 
used  to  have,  all  else  was  subordinated  to 
the  desire  to  amuse.  I  remember  Mr.  Jim 
B.  Oldham's  in  particular.  Every  pupil 
had  either  a  dialect  recitation  or  appeared 
in  a  coarse  dialogue.  There  was  nothing 
elevating  in  the  thought  of  anything 
presented.    In  fact,  some  parts  were  posi- 

(220) 


PLANNING    TH^    CLOSING    EXERCISES  221 

tively  degrading,  because  profane  or  im- 
modest. It  seems  to  me  that  it  would  be 
foolish,  after  all  my  efforts  to  teach  the 
children  correct  language  and  to  inspire 
them  with  a  love  of  good  literature,  to  fill 
their  minds  and  mouths  with  such  trash 
at  parting. 

"  I  recall  Mr.  Byrd's  exhibition  too. 
He  delighted  in  negro  plays,  but  I  do  not 
admire  what  some  one  has  termed  '  the 
burnt  cork  artist.'  It  has  not  been  my 
purpose  to  train  these  children  to  be  like 
negroes  in  their  every-day  life,  and  I  shall 
not  make  negroes  of  them  even  for  one 
evening. 

"  My  entertainment  shall  be  as  pure  in 
thought  and  language  as  I  can  make  it, 
and  shall  reflect  as  far  as  possible  the  work 
that  I  have  done,  whether  it  entertains  or 
not.  This  decision  will  also  settle  the  ques- 
tion as  to  whether  or  not  I  shall  permit 
persons  not  belonging  to  my  school, — 
'  outsiders/  as  they  call  themselves, —  to 


222  THE   LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

participate.  I  shall  have  none  but  the  pu- 
pils. Furthermore  I  shall  teach  my  classes 
until  the  last  day.  My  entertainment  shall 
not  demoralize  my  school.  I  shall  not  lose 
sight  of  my  primary  duty,  which,  as  I  see 
it,  is  to  instruct." 

Not  only  did  Helen  carry  out  to  the 
letter  her  purpose  as  indicated,  but  skil- 
fully converted  the  pupils  to  her  plans 
so  that  they  really  preferred  not  to 
have  a  coarse  and  frivolous  entertainment 
which  the  neighborhood  had  somehow 
come  to  believe  was  the  only  means  by 
which  life  could  be  kept  in  a  rural  school 
until  the  appointed  time  for  closing. 


CHAPTER  XXXII 

A  DAY  WITH  "THE  FAITHFUL" 

£FHE  Superintendent,  realizing  that  the 
December  meeting  of  the  County 
Teachers'  Association  would  be  the  last 
one  before  most  of  the  schools  closed, 
sought  to  make  it  as  interesting  as  pos- 
sible. He  succeeded  in  arranging  an  un- 
usually attractive  program,  but  could  not 
induce  Helen  to  discuss  a  subject.  She 
felt  complimented,  but  wrote  him :  — 

"  While  it  would  afford  me  great  pleas- 
ure to  comply  with  any  request  that  you 
might  make,  I  must  insist  that  I  am  not 
yet  qualified  to  teach  the  teachers.  Pos- 
sibly I  may  be  some  day,  for  I  love  to 
teach,  and  will  avail  myself  of  every  op- 
portunity I  have  to  fit  myself  for  this 
work.  I  have  derived  much  benefit  from 
the  Institute  and  the  meetings  of  the  As- 
sociation, and  regret  that  I  must  continue 
for  some  time  to  receive  more  than  I 
give." 

As  the   Superintendent   read  this,   he 

15  (223) 


224  THE   LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

looked  thoughtful,  and  said  to  his  wife: 
"  ■  Not  qualified  to  teach  the  teachers/  I 
will  keep  that  letter,  for  it  is  the  only  one 
of  the  kind  I  have  ever  seen." 

The  day  before  the  Institute  convened 
was  rainy.  Next  morning  the  clouds  were 
gone,  but  there  was  a  heavier  frost  than 
had  previously  fallen.  The  muddy  coun- 
try roads  were  frozen,  but  not  sufficiently 
to  bear  the  weight  of  a  horse.  Travel 
was  difficult,  but  Helen  and  half  a  dozen 
others  whom  the  Superintendent  called 
"the  faithful,"  arrived  by  the  time  ap- 
pointed for  opening.  They  met  in  the  pri- 
mary room  of  the  Seminary  in  town,  and 
not  in  the  large  hall,  as  usual.  And  a  cozy 
place  it  was,  with  its  tasteful  decorations. 

In  conducting  devotional  exercises  the 
Superintendent  read  the  eighteenth  chap- 
ter of  Matthew.  He  stopped  at  the  words : 
"Where  two  or  three  are  gathered  to- 
gether in  my  name,  there  am  I  in  the  midst 
of  them,"  and  said,  "  I  think  we  might  say 


A    DAY   WITH    "THE    FAITHFUL."  225 

with  due  reverence  that,  as  teachers,  we 
gather  in  His  name.  He  who  took  little 
children  in  his  arms  and  blessed  them, 
if  He  were  here  in  the  flesh,  would  also 
bless  us  in  our  efforts  to-day.  For  years 
I  have  thought,  and  I  now  more  firmly  be- 
lieve than  ever  before,  that  he  who  can- 
not take  little  children  in  his  arms  and 
heartily  bless  them,  as  Jesus  did,  is  unfit 
to  teach  them." 

He  finished  the  chapter,  and  offered  a 
prayer  full  of  sincere  appeals  for  divine 
guidance,  and  then  said :  — 

"  That  sentiment  which  in  my  mind 
ranks  next  to  religion,  is  patriotism.  We 
have  the  best  country  in  the  world.  Let 
us  sing  'America/  I  never  grow  tired  of 
it.  Let  us  sing  it  with  the  spirit  and  the 
understanding,  as  the  good  old-time  min- 
ister used  to  say,  when  he  had  given  out 
the  hymn." 

Following  the  last  notes  of  the  famous 
patriotic  song  the  Superintendent  took  on  ■ 


226  THE   LITTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

casion  to  make  a  brief  speech,  in  part  as 
follows :  — 

"  Not  long  since  I  read  in  a  small  paper 
published  by  a  State  Normal  school  for 
advertising  purposes,  a  short  article  ad- 
dressed to  young  teachers  and  headed, 
'  Invest  in  Yourself/  As  there  are  some 
young  teachers  present  (though  a  larger 
number  are  absent),  I  will  rehearse  the 
substance  of  this  article  for  the  benefit  of 
those  who  have  come,  notwithstanding  the 
rain  of  yesterday  and  the  conditions  of 
the  roads  this  morning.  This  writer 
said  to  the  prospective  student :  — 

"  '  What  better  use  can  you  make  of 
your  money  than  to  invest  it  in  yourself? 
If  there  is  in  you  the  outcome,  the  capacity 
for  development  and  growth  which  there 
is  usually  in  a  person  of  your  age,  your 
savings  will  pay  you  better  in  dollars  if 
spent  in  self-improvement  than  if  invested 
in  pigs  or  calves  or  lands  or  bonds.  More- 
over, you  will  have  for  the  rest  of  your 


A    DAY   WITH    "THE    FAITHFUL."  227 

life  a  greater  capacity  for  enjoyment  and 
for  usefulness/ 

"  I  have  seen  the  truth  of  these  as- 
sertions exemplified  many  times.  Plain 
clothes  are  necessary,  but  some  young 
teachers  invest  their  surplus  in  finery. 
Finery  will  fade  and  frills  go  out  of  fash- 
ion, live-stock  may  die,  and  securities  de- 
preciate; but  character,  the  true  product 
of  right  efforts  at  self-culture,  is  Godlike, 
immortal,  eternal.  Yes,  fellow  teachers, 
that  educator  was  right  when  he  said: 
'  Invest  in  yourself/  " 

The  Superintendent's  remarks  were 
heartily  appreciated. 

Professor  Gordon,  the  Nestor  of  the  As- 
sociation, arose.  "  Just  let  me  add  a  word 
to  what  has  been  said  so  truthfully  and  so 
eloquently  by  our  Superintendent. 

"  It  is  not  intellect  alone  that  makes  a 
man  truly  great,  nor  is  it  will  alone.  In- 
tellect and  will  contribute  to  greatness, 
but  the  only  real  greatness  consists  in 


228  the;  little  schoolmistress 

character.  Education  which  develops 
only  the  intellect  and  the  will  is  imper- 
fect, incomplete,  dangerous.  Character, 
full,  complete,  and  well  balanced,  should 
be  the  aim  of  all  education.  The  man 
who  is  merely  intellectual  may  use  his 
powers  craftily  to  the  hurt  of  his  fellow- 
men.  He  who  has  strong  will  power  with- 
out intellectual  and  moral  qualities  may  be 
a  tyrant  and  oppress  them.  Character  in 
the  sense  in  which  we  mean  it,  is  the  sum 
of  the  principles  and  motives  that  control 
the  life  of  a  man  as  a  Christian  citizen. 
It  includes  intellectual  culture,  but  means 
more.  He  who  invests  in  self  wisely  may 
expect  his  own  character  to  become 
stronger  and  more  perfect  and  his  power 
for  producing  like  improvement  in  those 
whom  he  teaches  to  be  increased. 

"  My  friends,  this  investment  can  be 
made  better  perhaps  in  the  university  than 
anywhere  else,  but  the  way  from  the  coun- 
try home  and  the  little  school-house  to  the 


A    DAY    WITH    "THE    FAITHFUL."  229 

university  is  steep  and  difficult.  To  many 
it  is  next  to,  if  not  quite,  impossible.  But, 
fortunately,  there  is  gold  in  the  river  beds 
and  the  sand  of  the  sea-shore  as  well  as 
on  the  snow-clad  mountain  tops.  The 
lives  of  the  greatest  characters  in  the 
world  may  be  brought  into  vital  touch 
with  our  own  through  the  use  of  books, 
and  there  are  some  good  people  in  every 
community  with  whom  one  may  profita- 
bly associate.  By  using  rightly  the  oppor- 
tunities that  all  have  for  self-improvement, 
a  little  money  is  sufficient  to  enable  one 
to  reap  great  benefits. " 

These  speeches  were  followed  by  a 
study  of  current  events,  then  of  special 
difficulties,  and  other  topics. 

And  thus  the  day  was  spent.  The  older 
teachers  were  happy  because  they  felt  that 
they  were  helping  the  young,  and  the 
young  were  happy  because  they  were  filled 
with  the  spirit  which  the  old  teachers  pos- 
sessed. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 

TWO  AGREEABLE  SURPRISES 
£T*HE  closing  exercises  of  Helen's  school 
were  a  realization  of  her  purpose. 
They  were  pure  and  clean  in  every  re- 
spect, and  presented  the  work  of  the  school 
in  a  manner  which  reflected  great  credit 
upon  her. 

The  entertainment  came  upon  a  bright 
night  in  December,  shortly  before  Christ- 
mas. The  audience  was  large  and  the  or- 
der excellent,  though  two  big  boys  from 
"  Tossum  Town "  neighborhood  came 
for  the  expressed  purpose  of  "  making 
things  lively."  When  they  began  to  at- 
tract undue  attention  just  outside  the  door, 
a  few  minutes  before  time  for  the  enter- 
tainment to  begin,  they  were  waited  upon 
in  a  very  courteous  manner  by  two  of  the 
Shady  Grove  boys,  who,  as  the  boys  from 
Tossum  Town  well  knew,  had  broken  up 
entertainments  themselves  less  than  a  year 
before  by  their  rudeness. 


TWO   AGREEABLE    SURPRISES  231 

"  Oh,  git  out,"  said  one  of  the  "  'Pos- 
sums,"  in  response  to  the  polite  request 
of  the  "committee,"  as  the  boys  termed 
themselves. 

"  Suppose  we  bust  up  your  show," 
said  the  other.  "  What  will  you  do  about 
it?  You  used  to  like  fun  as  well  as  any- 
body." 

"  We  like  fun  well  enough  yet,"  said  one 
of  the  Shady  Grove  boys,  "  but  since  we 
have  been  coming  to  this  school  we  have 
learned  how  to  be  gentlemen.  Gentle- 
men are  gallant,  and  will  protect  a  lady, 
'specially  one  like  our  teacher." 

By  this  time  half  a  dozen  of  Helen's 
largest  pupils  and  two  or  three  young  men 
of  the  neighborhood  were  standing  near, 
listening  to  the  conversation.  The  "  'Pos- 
sums "  were  like  an  army  surprised  and 
overwhelmed  by  the  enemy.  They  had 
sought  a  conflict.  The  opportunity  had 
come,  and  they  really  wished  it  had  not. 

"  Oh,  pshaw,  boys,"  said  a  rather  coarse 


232  THE  UTTLE  schoolmistress 

voice  close  by.  "  I  know  these  young 
gentlemen.  I'll  warrant  that  they  enjoy 
the  entertainment  as  well  as  any  one. 
They  shall  be  my  guests  to-night.  Come 
along,  boys." 

Just  then  the  bell  rang  for  order  inside. 
The  boys  of  the  school  passed  to  their 
places  in  haste,  and  the  ruffians  came  in 
with  Esquire  Brown  and  were  soon  in- 
tensely interested. 

The  surprise  for  the  patrons  and  friends 
of  the  school  was  the  novel  and  perfectly 
executed  program.  For  Helen,  it  was  the 
handsome  face  and  sparkling  eyes  of  Wil- 
liam Rutherford,  who,  with  a  classmate 
spending  the  holidays  with  him,  arrived 
unobserved.  The  entertainment  was  at 
least  half  over  before  she  made  the  dis- 
covery. 

William  had  attended  a  number  of  "  ex- 
hibitions "  in  the  country  before,  but  had 
never  seen  a  school-house  so  artistically 


TWO   AGREEABLE    SURPRISES  233 

decorated  nor  a  program  that  displayed 
so  much  good  taste  as  this  one. 

"  By  George,  William,"  said  his  friend, 
"  I  don't  blame  you  for  wanting  to  come 
home  for  Christmas;  but  if  you  don't 
mind  you  '11  wish  you  had  n't  brought  me." 


CHAPTER  XXXIV 

"THE  TRAVELER'S  REST" 
^P^RS.  SMITH'S  income  from  her  farm 
in  1899  was  considerably  better  than 
she  had  expected.  Moreover,  she  suc- 
ceeded in  collecting  some  old  debts  due 
her  husband.  These,  with  Helen's  sal- 
ary, enabled  them  to  have  some  money 
left  after  paying  the  interest  on  the  mort- 
gage (though  Colonel  Rutherford  pro- 
tested that  he  did  not  need  it). 

Shortly  before  Christmas  Mrs.  Smith 
received  and  accepted  an  offer  from  the 
owner  of  a  small  hotel  in  town.  By  the 
10th  of  January  she  was  in  charge  as  man- 
ager, Helen  was  enrolled  at  the  Seminary, 
and  Annie  was  in  the  public  school. 

From  the  day  Mrs.  Smith  took  charge 
of  the  hotel  there  was  rapid  improvement 
in  the  appearance  of  things  and  in  the 
comforts  afforded  its  guests.  The  sign 
"  City  Hotel,"  big  as  a  barn  door  and  dim 
with  age,  was  taken  down,  and  a  small 


"  THE  TRAVELER'S    REST."  235 

one  beautifully  painted  in  black  and  gold 
took  its  place,  the '  name  being  changed 
to  "  The  Traveler's  Rest."  It  soon  had 
the  reputation  of  being  the  most  homelike 
hostelry  in  Middle  Tennessee.  Not  a  few- 
drummers  made  it  convenient  to  spend 
Sundays  there.  They  invariably  went 
away  delighted  and  charged  their  fellow 
travelers  to  patronize  Mrs.  Smith.  She 
prospered  beyond  her  expectations,  and 
was  able  not  only  to  keep  her  children  in 
school,  but  even  succeeded  in  reducing 
the  mortgage  the  first  year. 

During  the  summer  vacations  William 
was  at  home.  He  and  Helen  became  quite 
"  good  friends,"  and  were  together  fre- 
quently. It  is  not  necessary  for  us  to  go 
into  details.  Those  who  have  enjoyed 
such  friendship  know  well  enough  how 
delightfully  the  time  was  spent. 

In  the  summer  of  1901  there  was  a  com- 
petitive examination  for  scholarships  in 
the  Peabody  College  in  Nashville.     Helen 


236  THE  UTTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

secured  the  scholarship  for  her  senatorial 
district,  although  she  had  very  strong 
competition.  A  member  of  the  committee 
said  afterward: — 

"  One  of  Miss  Smith's  competitors,  who 
had  been  to  school  more,  was  equal 
to  her  in  literary  attainments  and 
probably  superior  in  some  respects,  but 
Miss  Smith's  papers  were  the  neatest  that 
I  ever  saw.  Furthermore,  the  committee 
was  informed  that  she  had  done  remark- 
ably well  in  her  first  work  as  a  teacher." 

Though  much  of  general  interest  could 
be  related  concerning  Helen's  two  years 
in  Peabody  College,  it  is  unnecessary  to 
follow  her  in  detail  while  there,  or  Wil- 
liam through  his  course  at  the  University 
of  Virginia.  It  is  sufficient  to  say  that 
each  graduated  at  the  proper  time  with  a 
record  eminently  satisfactory  to  the  re- 
spective institutions. 


CHAPTER  XXXV 

SHADY  GROVE'S  AWAKENING 
tt'ELEN'S  year  and  a  half  at  the  Semi- 
nary and  her  two  years  at  the  Pea- 
body  College  for  Teachers,  added  to  her 
former  attainments  and  experience,  made 
available  to  her  several  desirable  posi- 
tions. The  Seminary  offered  her  a  good 
salary.  The  Secretary  of  the  Peabody 
College  wrote  to  know  if  she  would  ac- 
cept a  position  in  Texas,  and  Esquire 
Brown  called  on  her  as  soon  as  she 
reached  home  to  see  if  she  could  be  in- 
duced to  return  to  Shady  Grove. 

"  We  have  just  got  to  have  you,"  said 
he.  "  Though  I  dislike  to  speak  of  it,  I 
must  tell  you  frankly  that  our  schools 
have  been  miserable  failures  ever  since 
you  left  us,  as  they  were  before  you  came. 
If  you  don't  go  back  and  teach  for  us, 
we  shall  break  up  and  follow  you,  if  you 
stay  within  reach  of  us." 

"Well,  Mr.  Brown,"  said  Helen,  "I 


238  the  little  schoolmistress 

like  to  live  in  the  country  and  I  like  the 
people  of  Shady  Grove.  They  were  so 
kind  to  me  that  I  would  like  to  return 
to  them.  But  you  know  I  must  consider 
such  matters  somewhat  from  a  business 
standpoint." 

"  On  what  terms  then  will  you  teach  for 
us  again?  We  will  do  anything  possible 
to  induce  you  to  come  back.  I  have 
talked  to  the  neighbors  about  it,  and  they 
are  willing  to  increase  your  salary,  build 
a  better  school-house,  or  do  anything  else 
they  can.  Can't  you  make  me  a  propo- 
sition ?  " 

"Yes,"  said  Helen,  "I  will." 

"What  is  it?"  said  Esquire  Brown, 
eagerly. 

"  It  is  simply  this :  That  you  give  me 
comforts,  conveniences,  and  pay  equiva- 
lent to  those  which  I  could  get  here  in 
town  or  in  Texas,  and  I  will  teach  for 
you." 

Esquire  Brown  had  read  Helen's  school 


SHADY    GROVE'S    AWAKENING  239 

journals  while  she  was  at  his  home,  and 
numerous  sample  copies  that  had  come 
since  she  left.  From  them  he  had  gath- 
ered much  practical  information.  He 
had  learned  how  school-houses  should  be 
built  and  how  school  affairs  may  best  be 
administered,  and  that  money  is  as  neces- 
sary to  the  success  of  a  school  as  any  other 
enterprise. 

Immediately  upon  his  arrival  in  the 
neighborhood  he  called  a  meeting  of  the 
patrons  to  be  held  at  once  in  the  old  school- 
house.  As  the  people,  through  the  previ- 
ous efforts  of  Esquire  Brown,  were  al- 
ready alive  to  their  needs  and  considered 
him  their  committeeman  to  interview 
Helen  in  regard  to  teaching  for  them 
again,  they  responded  promptly. 

Esquire  Brown  called  the  meeting  to 
order  and  said :  — 

"  My  friends  and  neighbors,  we  have 
met  to  consider  an  important  matter. 
This    school-house  in  its  present    condi- 

16 


240  THE   UTTLE   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

tion  is  more  eloquent  than  any  words  that 
I  might  employ.  Just  look  at  it,  and 
think  of  what  it  was  three  years  ago. 
Then  we  had  a  school.  To  speak  the 
truth,  we  have  not  had  one  worthy  the 
name  since  —  nor  before. 

"  I  saw  Miss  Helen  Smith  this  morn- 
ing, and  she  promised  to  return  and  teach 
for  us  again  if  we  will  provide  for  her 
such  comforts,  conveniences,  and  pay  as 
she  would  get  in  town  or  elsewhere.  The 
Seminary  is  anxious  to  secure  her  at  a 
good  salary.  I  saw  a  letter  from  an  offi- 
cial of  the  Peabody  College  to-day,  offer- 
ing to  secure  for  her  at  once  a  fine  position 
in  Texas.  Her  services  are  in  demand. 
Good  teachers,  like  everything  else  good, 
cost  more  than  poor  ones.  We  were  for- 
tunate in  getting  Miss  Helen  for  one  term 
at  less  than  she  was  worth,  just  as  now 
and  then  a  man  buys  a  farm  with  an  un- 
known gold  mine  on  it,  at  a  bargain.    We 


SHADY    GROVE'S    AWAKENING  241 

cannot  afford  to  wait  for  chance  to  bring 
us  another  good  teacher. 

"  I  consider  the  education  of  my  chil- 
dren the  greatest  interest  I  have  in  the 
world,  and  I  mean  to  sacrifice  all  others 
for  that,  if  necessary.  If  I  cannot  educate 
them  properly  here,  I  shall  go  elsewhere, 
but  here  I  was  born  and  here  I  prefer  to 
live  and  die. 

"  We  need  a  better  school-house,  bet- 
ter furniture,  a  larger  attendance,  and 
better  pay  for  the  teacher.  Can  we  have 
them?  We  are  able;  the  question  is,  Are 
we  willing?  Last  year  the  Methodists, 
and  you  know  they  are  not  more  than  half 
of  the  neighborhood,  built  that  handsome 
church  over  there  and  furnished  it.  To- 
day it  is  paid  for.  To  do  that  we  had  to 
go  down  into  our  pockets.  To  get  the 
school  equipped  and  taught  properly  we 
must  do  so  again.  Let  me  set  the  ex- 
ample. I  will  give  a  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars    toward  a  new  school-house   and 


242  THE   UTTI,E   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

fifty  dollars  to  be  added  to  the  school  fund 
for  other  purposes." 

Half  an  hour  later  one  thousand  dollars 
had  been  subscribed,  and  a  committee  had 
been  appointed  to  canvass  the  neighbor- 
hood for  additional  subscriptions  and  an- 
other to  see  what  arrangements  could  be 
made  for  consolidating  the  schools  at 
Concord  and  Melrose  with  that  at  Shady 
Grove.  Helen's  reputation  made  this 
easy.  Free  transportation  was  provided 
for  just  a  few  remote  ones  at  public  ex- 
pense. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI 

THE  NEW  SCHOOL-HOUSE 
IJT1HE  first  Monday  in  September,  the 
Shady  Grove  school  opened  with 
an  unprecedented  attendance.  The  new- 
building,  which  had  been  erected  during 
July  and  August,  though  quickly  con- 
structed, was  better  suited  to  the  purposes 
than  any  school-house  ever  before  erected 
in  the  county.  Heating,  ventilation, 
light,  seating,  etc.,  had  received  liberal  at- 
tention. It  is  worthy  of  note  that  there 
was  no  north  door  to  let  in  the  chilling 
blasts  on  stormy  days.  There  were 
shelves  for  books  and  bric-a-brac,  places 
for  cloaks  and  for  lunches,  for  water  and 
waste  paper,  a  locker  for  storing  school 
supplies,  and  many  other  little  conven- 
iences which  made  the  building  homelike 
and  attractive.  The  ceiling  was  high 
and  finished  in  "  hard  oil/'  awaiting,  it 
seemed,  the  decoration  which  a  few  days 

(243) 


244  the;  uttl,e  schoolmistress 

afterward   it    received    at   the   hands  of 
Helen  and  the  children. 

The  yard  was  inclosed  in  a  plain,  sub- 
stantial fence.  Later  trees  were  planted, 
flower  beds  laid  off,  and  walks  made, 
mainly  by  the  children.  During  the  win- 
ter, flowers  were  grown  in  pots  in  the 
windows,  and  bright  geranium  blossoms 
greeted  passers-by  through  parted  scrim 
sash  curtains,  even  in  snowy  weather. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII 

SOME  OF  THE  FRUITS 
^[[T  has  now  been  a  year  and  a  half 
since  the  Shady  Grove  school  opened 
in  its  new  building.  Helen  Smith  is  still 
principal,  and  has  one  good  assistant. 
Her  work  has  been  a  continuation  of  that 
begun  with  her  first  term  there  five  years 
ago,  with  such  modifications  and  improve- 
ments as  her  better  training  and  improved 
facilities  have  made  possible.  However, 
wisely  enough  the  Shady  Grove  school 
still  adheres  to  its  proper  sphere.  Helen 
says  that  one  good  elementary  school  is 
worth  a  dozen  puny  colleges  or  pseudo 
high  schools. 

Helen  is  still  a  student,  not  only  of 
books,  but  of  nature  and  children  and 
other  people's  ideas.  Her  reputation  has 
extended  far  enough  to  bring  her  many 
tempting  offers,  but  she  seems  wedded  to 
this  community,  and  says  that  so  long  as 
they  are  as  good  to  her  as  they  have  al- 

(245) 


246  THE   UTTUS   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

ways  been,  she  does  not  care  to    teach 
elsewhere. 

During  the  five  years  which  have 
elapsed  since  Helen's  first  school  began  at 
Shady  Grove,  numerous  changes  have 
taken  place.  Not  only  have  a  new  school- 
house  and  a  new  church  been  built,  but 
the  life  and  character  of  the  community 
have  changed.  Homes  are  neater  than 
they  used  to  be,  the  people  are  quieter  in 
their  manner  and  speech,  more  refined  in 
their  tastes,  and  habitually  read  a  high 
class  of  books  and  magazines  drawn 
weekly  from  the  school  library.  Common- 
place neighborhood  gossip  is  practically 
a  thing  of  the  past. 

Four  or  five  youths  whose  parents 
never  would  have  thought  of  training 
schools  or  colleges  for  them,  have  entered 
some  of  the  best-known  institutions  of  the 
State,  and  others  are  preparing  to  go  as 
soon  as  they  are  old  enough.  George 
Taylor,  the  son  of  the  drunken  carpenter, 


SOME   OF    THE    FRUITS  247 

who  found  Longfellow's  poems  in  the 
garbage  pile,  has  read  more  good  books 
than  most  people  of  forty,  has  written 
some  readable  verses,  and  is  teaching 
successfully  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
county.  He  will  enter  the  State  Univer- 
sity when  his  school  closes. 

The  government  has  supplied  the  people 
with  rural  free  delivery  of  the  mail,  and 
the  telephone  system  has  made  audible 
to  them  the  great  throbbing  world. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII 

"UNREALIZED  AMBITIONS" 

<3TTHILE  William  was  at  the  University 
of  Virginia,  he  became  ambitious  to 
fill  a  professorship  in  some  great  univer- 
sity. In  order  to  fit  himself  for  such  a 
position,  he  went  to  Harvard  last  fall,  and 
is  now  there  studying  for  a  doctor's  de- 
gree. In  one  of  his  recent  letters  to 
Helen  he  said: — 

"  The  feelings  that  I  experienced  on  ar- 
riving were  indescribable.  When  I  en- 
tered the  campus,  I  took  off  my  hat  out 
of  respect  to  this  venerable  institution. 
My  life  is  broader,  and  my  vision  clearer 
and  farther  to-day  than  ever  before;  and 
yet  I  feel  that  I  am  as  one  who  stands  in 
a  deep  pit  and  looks  up  at  the  stars.  .  .  . 

"  I  often  think  how  great  a  work  yours 
is,  and  how  far  short  of  the  true  glory 
of  living  many  of  those  fall  whom  I  see 
in  Boston  and  elsewhere  selfishly  ab- 
sorbed in  material  gain  and  sensual  pleas- 

(248) 


"UNREALIZED    AMBITIONS"  249 

ures,  to  the  destruction  of  the  intellectual 
and  spiritual  life." 

On  the  morning  of  April  10,  while  Wil- 
liam was  sitting  in  the  departmental  li- 
brary of  history  in  Cambridge,  deeply  ab- 
sorbed in  study,  a  messenger  touched  him 
on  the  shoulder  and  said: — 

"Are  you  Mr.  Rutherford?" 
.  "  Yes,"  said  William,  looking    up    in 
surprise. 

"  Please  sign  here,  sir,"  he  said,  and 
handed  him  a  telegram. 

William  opened  it  hastily,  and  found 
that  it  was  from  his  brother,  who  said: 
"  Father  is  dangerously  ill.  Come  im- 
mediately." 

Without  a  moment's  delay  he  wrote  on 
a  blank  furnished  him  by  the  messenger : 
"  Tell  father  I  am  coming,"  and  handed 
it  to  him  saying :   "  Send  this  at  once." 

At  Cincinnati  he  was  obliged  to  wait  an 
hour  for  the  departure  of  his  train.  Dur- 
ing this  time  he  telephoned  his  brother, 


250  THE   UTTLE    SCHOOLMISTRESS 

and  learned  that  his  father  had  just  passed 
a  dangerous  operation,  and  was  resting 
quietly,  though  his  recovery  was  by  no 
means  assured.  William  reached  home 
the  next  day.  As  the  train  rolled  into  the 
station,  his  brother  leaped  upon  the  plat- 
form and  rushed  into  the  car,  saying: — 

"  Father  has  regained  consciousness,  is 
without  fever,  and  the  physicians  think 
now  that  he  will  recover." 

For  a  week  William  remained  close  by 
the  bedside  of  his  father,  rendering  him 
the  most  devoted  service.  Colonel  Ruth- 
erford improved  rapidly.  In  ten  days  all 
cause  for  anxiety  was  past. 

Sunday  afternoon,  on  a  pretext  of 
wishing  to  see  the  new  school-house,  Wil- 
liam asked  Helen  to  go  driving.  About 
an  hour  before  sunset  they  came  to  the 
beautiful  grove  in  the  midst  of  which  the 
building  stood,  and  presently  entered. 

Though  by  no  means  the  most  expen- 
sive school-house  that  William  had  ever 


"UNREALIZED    AMBITIONS"  251 

seen,  it  was  certainly  the  most  charming. 
Good  taste,  comfort,  and  convenience  were 
embodied  everywhere;  and  the  little 
schoolmistress  in  the  midst  of  her  crea- 
tions diviner  seemed  than  Minerva  her- 
self. 

They  lingered  about  the  place  for  some 
time,  looking  first  at  one  thing,  then  at 
another,  and  came  at  last  to  examine  a 
box  of  sweet  violets  in  bloom  on  a  shelf 
at  the  end  of  the  porch.  The  sun  was  set- 
ting. A  shower  of  rain  had  fallen  since 
they  came  in;  but  the  clouds  had  now  so 
far  vanished  as  to  leave  only  a  billowy 
sea  of  gold  in  the  west.  While  every  leaf 
and  flower  and  blade  sparkled  in  the  mel- 
low light  of  the  setting  sun,  and  the  cat- 
bird in  a  thicket  of  wild  plum  trees  by  the 
roadside  sang  a  subdued  song,  Helen,  idly 
plucking  the  violets,  said,  in  answer  to 
his  question : — 

"  I  cannot.    I  have  a  sacred  work  to  do 


262  THE   LITTLE)   SCHOOLMISTRESS 

here.  Furthermore,  I  fear  that  I  am  not 
worthy  to  become  your  wife." 

"  Do  not  say,  '  Cannot/  "  he  implored. 
"  The  dream  of  my  life  for  five  years  has 
been  to  win  you,  and  to  render  myself  ca- 
pable of  making  you  happy.  I  have  un- 
realized ambitions,  and  do  not  ask  you  to 
marry  me  now,  nor  next  year,  nor  even 
the  next,  but  it  will  be  enough  for  the 
present  to  know  that  we  shall  be  married 
by-and-by.  Will  you  promise  me  this 
much  ?  " 

As  she  reached  for  another  violet,  he 
laid  his  hand  gently  upon  hers  and  clasped 
it  firmly.  With  a  look  more  eloquent  than 
his  words  he  pleaded  half  in  a  whisper :  — 

"Will  you?" 

During  the  long  pause  which  followed, 
a  struggle  took  place  in  Helen's  soul.  Fi- 
nally as  a  great  tear  rolled  down  her 
cheek,  her  expression  lighted  up  as  the 
western  sky  had  done  a  few  moments  be- 


UNREALIZED   AMBITIONS 


253 


fore,  and  she  answered  in  a  voice  distinct 
but  gentle  and  low, — 

"  I  will." 

The  day-star  had  faded  in  the  west,  the 
twilight  shadows  were  thickening,  and  the 
cat-bird  sang  more  softly  to  its  mate  as 
William  and  Helen  with  a  transcendent 
joy  sped  away  homeward. 


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